f" 


GIFT  OF 


WRITINGS   OX   ARCILFOLOGY. 

Bv    CLARKXCE    B.    MOOKE. 

Certain  .Shell   Heaps  of  the  St.  Johns   River,   Florida,   hitherto  unexplored.     The  American  Naturalist, 

Xov.,  1S92,  to  Jany..  IS!)  I.  inclusive.     Five  papers  with  illustrations  in  text,  and  maps. 
Certain  Sand  Mounds  of  the  St.  Johns  River,  Florida,  Parts  I  and  II.     Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 

Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  Philadelphia,  IS!) -I.     Vol.  X.     Quarto,  180  and  123  pages.     Frontispieces, 

maps,  plates,  illustrations  in  the  text. 
Certain  Sand  Mounds  of  Duval  County,  Florida;  Two  Mounds  on  Murphy  Island,  Florida;  Certain  Sand 

Mounds  of  the  Ocklawaha  River,  Florida.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1S95.     Vol.  X.     Quarto, 

10S  pases.     Frontispiece,  maps,  plates,  illustrations  in  text. 
Additional  Mounds  of  Duval  and  of  Clay  Counties,  Florida;  Mound  Investigation  on  the  Fast  Coast  of 

Florida:  Certain  Florida  Coast   Mounds  north  of  the  St.  Johns  River.     Privately  printed,   Phila 
delphia,  1S!)(>.     Quarto,  30  pages.     Map,  plates,  illustrations  in  text. 
Certain  Aboriginal   Mounds  of  the  Georgia  Coast.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,   1S97.     Vol.   XI. 

Quarto,  144  pages.     Frontispiece,  map,  plates,  illustrations  in  text. 
Certain  Aboriginal  Mounds  of  the  Coast  of  South  Carolina;  Certain  Aboriginal  Mounds  of  the  Savannah 

River:  Certain  Aboriginal  Mounds  of  the  Altamaha  River;  Recent  Acquisitions;  A  ('ache  of  Pendent 

Ornaments.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila..   IXitS.     Vol.  XI.     Quarto,  4S  pages.     Frontispiece, 

maps,  illustrations  in  text. 
Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the  Alabama  River.     Jtmrn.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,   IS!)!).     Vol.  XI. 

Quarto,  <>2  pages.     Map.  illustrations  in  text. 
Certain  Antiquities  of  the  Florida  West-Coast.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1000.     Vol.  XI.     Quarto. 

4(i  pages.     Maps,  illustrations  in  text. 
Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the  Northwest  Florida  Coast,  Part   I;  Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the 

Tombigbee  River.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1901.     Vol.  XI.     Quarto,  100  pages.     Maps 

illustrations  in  text. 
Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the  Northwest  Florida  Coast,  Part  II.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila., 

1002.     Vol.  XII.     Quarto,  235  pages.     Maps,  illustrations  in  text. 
Certain  Aboriginal  Mounds  of  the  Central  Florida  West-Coast:  Certain  Aboriginal  Mounds  of  the  Apa- 

lachicola  River.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1903.     Vol.  XII.     Quarto,   13G  pages.     Maps, 

illustrations  in  text. 
Sheet-copper  from  the  Mounds  is  not  Necessarily  of  European  Origin.     American  Anthropologist,  Jan.- 

March,  1003.     Plates  in  text. 
The  So-called  "Hoe-shaped  Implement."     American  Anthropologist,  July-Sept.,    1903.     Illustrations  in 

text. 

Aboriginal  Urn-burial  in  the  United  States.     American  Anthropologist,  Oct.-Dec.,  1004.     Plate. 
A  Form  of  Urn-burial  on  Mobile  Bay.     American  Anthropologist,  Jan. -March,  1905. 
Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the  Black  Warrior  River  [Moundville];  Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the 

Lower  Tombigbee  River;  Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  Mobile  Bay  and  Mississippi  Sound;  Mis 
cellaneous  Investigation  in  Florida.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1905.     Vol.  XIII.     Quarto, 

20li  pages.     Maps,  illustrations  in  text. 
Moundville  Revisited;  Crystal   River  Revisited;  Mounds  of  the  Lower  Chattahoochee  and  Lower  Flint 

Rivers;  Notes  on  the  Ten  Thousand  Islands,  Florida.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1907.     Vol. 

XIII.  Quarto,  141  pages.     Maps,  illustrations  in  text. 

Certain  Mounds  of  Arkansas  and  of  Mississippi  (including  Doctor  Hrdlicka's  paper  on  the  Crania).     Journ. 

Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  19IK     Vol.  XIII.     Quarto,  130  pages.     Maps,  illustrations  in  text,  eight 

colored  plates. 
Antiquities  of  the  Ouachita  Valley.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1009.     Vol.  XIV.     Quarto,  170  pages. 

Maps,  illustrations  in  text,  eight  colored  plates.     (In  addition  in  this  number  is  Doctor  Hrdlicka's 

paper  on  the  skeletal  remains.) 
Antiquities  of  the  St.  Francis,  White,  and  Black  Rivers.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,   1910.     Vol. 

XIV.  Quarto,  1 12  pages.     Maps,  illustrations  in  text,  twenty  colored  plates. 

Some  Aboriginal  Sites  on  Mississippi  River.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1911.     Vol.  XIV.     Quarto, 

1  Hi  pages.     Map,  illustrations  in  text,  eight  colored  plates. 
Some  Aboriginal  Sites  on  Red  River.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,   1912.     Vol.  XIV.     Quarto,  103 

pages.     Map,  plans,  illustrations  in  text,  eight  colored  plates. 
Some  Aboriginal  Sites  in  Louisiana  and  in  Arkansas.     (Atchafalaya  River,  Lake  Larto,  Tensas  River, 

Bayou  Maeon,  Bayou  D'Arbonne,  in  Louisiana;  Saline  River,  in  Arkansas.)     Journ.  Acad.  Nat. 

Sci.  of  Phila.,  1913.     Vol.  XVI.     Quarto,  102  pages.     Maps,  plans,  illustrations  in  text,  two  colored 

plates. 
Aboriginal  Sites  on  Tennessee  River.     Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila.,  1915.     Vol.  XVI.     Quarto,  25S 

pages.     Maps,  plans,  illustrations  in  text,  four  colored  plates. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  Ul  VER 


I3Y 


CLARENCE   B.  MOORK 


REPRINTED  FROM  THE 
JOURNAL  OF  THE  ACADEMY  OF  NATURAL  SCIENCES  OF  PHILADELPHIA,  VOL.  XVI. 


PHILADELPHIA 

1915 


A 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 
BY  CLARENCE  B.  MOORE. 


INTRODUCTION. 

That  subdivision  of  the  United  States  of  America  known  as  the  State  of 
Tennessee  takes  its  name  from  that  of  two  or  more  Cherokee  settlements.1 
The  moaning  of  the  word  (Tanasi}  has  not  been  determined. 

The  archaeology  of  few  States  of  the  Union  has  boon  more  widely  described 
than  has  that  of  Tennessee,  especially  the  region  having  the  city  of  Nashville 
as  a  center. 

Archaeological  investigations,  mainly  in  eastern  Tennessee,  conducted  by 
Rev.  I*].  ().  Dunning  in  behalf  of  Peabody  Museum  of  Harvard  University,  arc 
included  in  the  Third  (1870)  and  Fifth  (1872)  Annual  Reports  of  that  institution, 
with  an  account  of  the  collection  by  Jeffries  Wyman. 

The  explorations  of  Joseph  Jones,  M.D.,  mainly  in  the  Cumberland  valley, 
are  described  by  him  in  "Explorations  of  the  Aboriginal  Remains  of  Tennessee."'- 

Prof.  Frederic  Ward  Putnam  gives  an  account  of  his  archaeological  researches 
in  central  Tennessee  in  the  Eleventh  Annual  Report  of  Peabody  Museum  of 
Harvard  University,  1878.  These  explorations  were  continued  under  Professor 
Putnam's  direction  by  Mr.  E.  Curtis  until  1880.  Numerous  references  to  this 
work  are  given  in  the  Reports  of  the  Museum  to  1881. 

Archaeological  work  in  Tennessee  by  agents  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Eth 
nology,  mainly  along  the  Little  Tennessee,  but  including  a  few  sites  on  Tennessee 
river,  is  described  in  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau. 

In  the  Reports  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  /xixxitn,  are  to  be  found  accounts 
of  archaeological  research  in  Tennessee. 

A  partial  list  of  Tennessee  mounds  and  sites  is  given  by  Cyrus  Thomas  in 
his  "Catalogue  of  Prehistoric  Works  East  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, ":t  Bureau  of 
of  American  Ethnology,  18!)  1. 

Prof.  William  H.  Holmes,  in  various  writings  contained  in  the  Annual  Reports 
of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  notably  in  his  "Art  in  Shell  of  the  Ancient 
Americans."1  and  his  "Aboriginal  Pottery  of  Eastern  United  States."'  discusses 
the  aboriginal  art  of  Tennessee. 

The  late  ( lonoral  dates  P.  Thruston,  in  his  comprehensive  work,  "  The  Anti- 

1  "  Handbook  of  . \tnencan  Indians,1'  Bureau  of  American  KtlmoloKy,  Bulletin  30. 

2  Smithsonian  Contributions  to  Knowledge,  Vol.  XXII.  p.  2">(i,  1S70. 

3  Bulletin  12. 

4  Second  Annual  Report,  pp.  I7()-:J<).">. 
'Twentieth  Annual  Report,  pp.  I -201. 


172  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

quiticsof  Tennessee  "  (second  edition,  1897),  details  in  a  most  interesting  way  his 
explorations  in  the  great  cemeteries  near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  the  archaeology 
of  the  State  in  general. 

Mr.  W.  E.  Myer,  of  Carthage,  Tenn.,  who  has  widely  explored  aboriginal 
sites  along  Cumberland  river  and  whose  collection  is  so  well  known,  has  written 
"An  Old  Shawnee  Town  on  Cumberland  River,"  and  "The  Caverns  and  Rock- 
shelters  of  Cumberland  Valley." 

As  to  the  former  inhabitants  of  Tennessee  we  are  told1  that,  in  later  times,  the 
area  occupied  by  the  Cherokee  embraced  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee.  Thruston- 
says  that  in  the  historical  period  the  Shawnee  once  held  sway  from  the  Ohio 
river  to  the  Tennessee,  and  Doctor  Jones3  asserts  that  the  Chaouanons,  or 
Shawnee,  inhabited  the  valleys  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  more  especially 
the  Cumberland,  and  cites  Robertson's  statement  that  the  region  occupied  by  the 
Shawnee  was  from  Tennessee  river  to  north  of  the  Cumberland.  The  "  Handbook 
of  American  Indians  "'  calls  the  basin  of  the  Cumberland  the  early  home  of  the 
Shawnee.  Doubtless  at  one  time  the  Shawnee  occupied  much5  of  what  is  now  the 
State  of  Tennessee. 

However,  to  adduce  evidence  that  a  territory  was  once  peopled  by  a  certain 
tribe  is  one  thing,  but  to  prove  that  this  tribe  constructed  the  mounds  and  graves 
found  in  that  region  is  quite  a  different  matter.  Those  who  have  written  on  the 
archaeology  of  Tennessee  have,  with  commendable  conservatism,  contented  them 
selves  with  ascribing  to  the  "Stone  Grave  people"  the  mounds,  graves,  and  arti 
facts  of  that  region,  that  are  connected  with  the  use  of  stone  in  sepulture,  while 
aboriginal  interments  not  associated  with  stone,  have  been,  with  equally  praise 
worthy  caution,  left  unassigned  to  any  particular  tribe. 

The  stone  grave,  the  most  distinctive  feature  of  the  archaeology  of  Tennessee, 
though  found  in  northern  Georgia,"  West  Virginia,7  Kentucky,  southwestern 
()hio,s  eastern  Indiana,7  southern  Illinois,  and  sparingly  in  Missouri, 9  and,  as 

"  Handbook  of  American  Indians,"  Part  1.  p.  (ill). 

-  OIL  cil.,  p.  22. 

:l  O/i.  cit.,  pp.  147,  154. 

4  Part  2,  p.  531. 

G  And  probably  oven  to  (he  south  of  Tennessee.  Through  I  he  courtesy  of  Dr.  Ales  Ilrdlicka  we 
give  an  extract  from  a  letter  to  him  from  Dr.  John  R.  Swanton.  "'The  Indians  of  Marshall  County. 
Alabama/  by  Oliver  Day  (Street  of  Guntersville,  Ala.,  published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Alabama 
Historical  Society,  Vol.  IV,  p.  193-210.  This  writer  brings  forward  historical  and  traditional  in 
formation  to  show  that  the  Shawnee  occupied  t  he  region  of  the  great  bend  of  the  Tennessee  in  nort  hern 
Alabama  between  1600  and  1721.  He  even  locates  'their  principal  town'  'near  Tennessee  river.'  etc. 
Upon  the  whole  there  is  reason  to  suppose  that  during  the  time  when  they  were  settled  upon  the 
Cumberland  the  Shawnee  also  made  settlements  on  the  Tennessee  as  well,  but  I  do  not  think  their 
occupancy  of  that  region  was  of  long  duration." 

6  12th  An.  Rep.  Bur.  Am.  Kthn.,  p.  302  r7  *«/.     C.  ('..Jones,  "  Antiquities  of  the  Soul  hern  Indians," 
Chapter  X. 

7  12th  An.  Rep.  Bur.  Am.  Kthn..  p.  571. 

"(iorard  Fowke/'Archseological  History  of  Ohio,"  Chap.  XI. 

9  David  I.  Bushnell,  Jr.,  "  Archaeological  Investigation  in  Ste.  Genevieve  County,  Missouri," 
Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  Vol.  46,  pp.  041-668,  1914.  Thruston,  op.  cit.,  p.  28,  footnote. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNKSSKK  RIYKR.  173 

we  have  been  the  first  to  show,  in  northern  Alabama,  had  such  extensive  use  in 
Tennessee  that  in  the  minds  of  most  it  is  associated  chiefly  witli  that  State. 
"  It  is  in  Tennessee  that  this  special  form  of  grave  seems  to  have  been  made  with 
the  greatest  care  and  maintained  with  slight  variation  in  construction.  It  is 
here,  also,  that  the  largest  cemeteries  consisting  of  burials  in  stone  graves  are 
found  and  that  the  graves  are  often  made  over  one  another  in  tiers  forming  stone 
grave  mounds."1 

Xow  let  us  examine  the  form  and  contents  of  the  stone  graves,  as  heretofore 
described. 

Putnam-  writes: 

"One  grave  which  I  opened  at  Zollicoffer  Hill  [central  Tennessee],  though 
only  a  few  inches  under  the  surface,  had  escaped  former  disturbance.  This 
grave  was  formed  of  six  slabs  of  stone  on  one  side  and  five  on  the  other,  with  one 
slab  at  the  head,  and  one  at  the  foot;  forming  a  grave  five  feet  eight  inches  in 
length,  inside  measure,  and  six  feet  outside;  the  average  width  being  eighteen 
and  the  depth  sixteen  inches.  The  side  stones  were  unevenly  broken  to  dimen 
sions  of  eight  to  fifteen  inches  in  width,  by  about  twenty  inches  in  depth  and 
two  or  three  inches  in  thickness.  The  two  stones  forming  the  head  and  foot  of 
the  grave  were  larger  than  those  on  the  sides.  All  these  stones  extended  a 
few  inches  below  the  floor  of  the  grave,  which  was  made  by  placing  thinner  and 
smaller  pieces  of  stone  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form  a  level  bottom  to  this  cist.;i 
Five  slabs  of  stone,  larger  than  those  used  on  the  sides,  rested  on  the  nearly  even 
edges  of  the  upright  stones,  and,  slightly  overlapping,  formed  the  cover  or  top 
of  the  grave. 

"Further  examination  in  other  localities  showed  that  all  the  stone  graves 
were  made  after  this  plan,  the  only  variation  being  in  the  size  [and  number]  of 
the  stone  slabs  and  in  the  dimensions  of  the  graves.  Any  rock  was  used  that 
could  be  easily  detached  in  slabs  of  convenient  size.  That  most  common  to  the 
localities  I  visited  was  limestone  and  sandstone." 

Doctor  Jones'  says: 

"The  manner  of  burial  seems  to  have  been  as  follows:  An  excavation  of  a 
size  agreeing  with  that  of  the  body  of  the  dead  was  made  in  the  ground,  and  the 
bottom  carefully  paved  with  flat  stones.  Flat  stones  or  slabs  of  limestone  and 
slaty  sandstone  were  placed  along  the  sides  and  at  the  head  and  foot  of  the  grave. 
The  body  was  then  placed  within  this  rude  coffin,  and  with  it  wen1  deposited 
vases,  small  ornaments,  pearls,  beads,  bands  of  wampum,  large  sea-shells,  idols, 
warlike  implements,  stone  hatchets  and  chisels,  spear-heads,  arrow-heads,  stone 

1  Xote  contributed  by  Professor  Put  11:1111,  who  adds  that,  so  far  as  lie  is  aware,  the  building  of 
slow  graves  in  tiers  so  as  to  form  mounds  is  confined  to  central  Tennessee,  where  some  of  this  kind 
were  explored  by  him.  and  by  Mr.  Curtis  under  Professor  Putnam's  direction. 

-  (>/>.  cit.,  p.  :<()<>. 

•''  In  some  instances  Putnam  found  that   the  bottoms  of  the  graves  were  covered  with  potsherd*, 
and  still  others  had  evidently  had  the  floors  covered  with  bark.      Pea  body  Mus.  Report  s.  Vol.  o.  p.  IIW. 
'  O/>.  rit.,  p.  S. 


174  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

swords,  paint  bowls,  and  even  copper  ornaments.  The  top  of  the  grave  was  then 
covered  with  one  or  more  flat  stones.  The  upper  slabs  covering  the  graves  were 
generally  on  a  level  with  the  surface  of  the  ground.  In  some  localities,  however, 
and  especially  in  the  most  carefully  constructed  burial  mounds,  the  graves  were 
covered  with  a  foot  of  earth  or  more.  .  .  . 

"'In  some  localities  the  sides  of  the  tombs  stood  up  above  the  surface  from 
four  to  eight  inches,  as  in  the  case  of  the  stone  graves  described  by  Bartram. 
When  a  number  of  coffins  were  placed  together,  the  side  stones  of  the  first  fre 
quently  constituted  the  side  of  the  second,  and  so  on.  Many  of  the  stone 
graves  are  quite  small,  and  capable  of  containing  only  the  body  of  a  new-born 
infant.  These  small  graves  were  constructed  with  great  care,  and  the  sides, 
bottom  and  top  were  formed  of  much  thinner  and  smoother  slabs  than  the 
graves  of  the  adults.  Many  of  the  short,  square  graves,  not  more  than  eigh 
teen  inches  or  two  feet  in  length,  contained  the  bones  of  adults  piled  together, 
the  crania  being  surrounded  by  or  resting  upon  the  arm  and  leg  bones." 

Doctor  Jones  next  proceeds  to  explode  the  theory  advanced  by  certain  writers 
of  the  old  school  who  desired  to  appeal  to  the  sense  of  wonder  (a  class  not  yet 
extinct),  that  the  small  graves  contained  remains  of  a  pigmy  race.1 

Thrust  on2  describes  the  stone  graves  of  central  Tennessee  as  follows: 

"The  rude  cists  or  box-shaped  coffins  are  made  of  thin  slabs  of  stone.  Some 
times  the  stones  are  broken  or  cut,  or  rubbed  down,  so  as  to  fit  evenly  and  form 
a  well-shaped  case,  but  more  frequently  they  are  rudely  joined  together.  Oc 
casionally,  they  are  found  in  mounds  or  layers,  four  or  five  tiers  of  graves  deep. 
The  graves  are  usually  six  or  seven  feet  long,  a  foot  and  a  half  to  two  feet  wide, 
and  eighteen  inches  dee]);  but  graves  of  greatly  varying  sizes  and  shapes  are  found 
intermingled  with  those  of  more  regular  form.  The  children's  graves  are  pro 
portionately  smaller.  Frequently  the  same  cist  contains  two  or  three  skeletons, 
and  is  not  more  than  three  or  four  feet  long,  the  bones  having  been  placed  in  a 
pile  irregularly  within  it,  indicating  that  they  were  probably  interred  long  after 
death,  and  after  some  intermediate  preparation  or  ceremonies  similar  to  the  burial 
customs  of  some  of  the  historic  tribes." 

The  stone  graves,  unfortunately,  are  not  so  rich  in  artifacts  as  one  might  sur 
mise  from  reading  Doctor  Jones's  account.  Professor  Putnam  in  a  personal 
letter  writes  us:  "I  think  the  great  center  of  the  stone-grave  people  was  in  the 
Cumberland  Valley.  There  is  where  I  did  my  work.  Even  there  objects  in 
the  graves  were  not  frequent.  Certainly  not  more  than  one  grave  in  twenty  or 
more  had  any  artifacts  and  not  as  many  as  that  had  pottery." 

Mr.  W.  E.  Myer,  of  Carthage,  Tenn.,  whose  archaeological  work  along  Cumber 
land  river  has  been  referred  to,  writes  us:  "I  have  found  not  more  than  one  grave 

1  Putnam  found  in  sonic  of  the  comet  erics  that  the  children's  graves  were  separated  from  the  graves 
of  adults,  one  portion  of  the  cemetery  being  devoted  to  the  children.     It  was  such  grouping  of  the 
graves,  lie  believes,  that  led  some  of  the  early  writers  to  think  there  had  been  a  race  of  pigmies  in 
Tennessee. 

2  Op.  cil..  p.  29. 


ABOHICIXAL  SITKS  OX  TKXXKSSKK  KIYKR.  17:> 

in  fifty  contains  artifacts."  The  reader  of  the  description  of  our  work  along 
Tennessee  river  will  note  the  very  meagre  returns  from  the  stone  graves  there. 

In  southwestern  Ohio,  also,  but  few  artifacts  have  been  found  in  stone  graves. 
We  are  told  by  (lerard  Fowke:1  ''So  far  as  may  lie  judged  from  personal  explora 
tion  and  from  the  reports  of  others  who  have  made  investigations,  not  more  than 
half  a  dozen  graves  out  of  several  hundred  opened,  have  yielded  specimens  of 
any  sort." 

Professor  Putnam2  reports  that  only  eight  pipes  were  found  in  several  thousand 
stone  graves  opened  in  various  sections  of  the  stone-grave  area  in  behalf  of  the 
Peabody  Museum.  He  points  out,  however,  that  one  may,  at  times,  in  stone 
graves  find  objects  of  surpassing  rarity,  and  describes  (in  a  personal  letter)  a  fine 
deposit  of  rare  flint  implements  obtained  in  central  Tennessee, :i  by  an  agent 
working  under  his  direction  for  Peabody  Museum,  hitherto  undescribed  in  print, 
which  much  resembles  the  superb  deposit  of  flints  now  in  possession  of  the 
Missouri  Historical  Society.1  This  latter  deposit,  however,  which  was  found  in 
Humphreys  County,  Tenn.,  on  Duck  river,  a  few  miles  above  Tennessee  river, 
cannot  be  said  absolutely  to  have  come  from  a  stone  grave,  though  it  probably 
was  so  derived,  as  set  forth  in  Professor  Moorchead's  book. 

While  undoubtedly  flints  of  wonderful  form  and  workmanship  have  been 
discovered  in  Tennessee,  it  is  almost  certain  that  many  flints  of  very  unusual 
shape,  some  of  which  have  been  illustrated  in  various  books,  are  the  handiwork 
of  well-known  counterfeiters  and  fakirs1*  who  reside  in  the  western  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  region,  and  that  genuine  flints  of  unusual  shapes  in  the  stone-grave 
territory  are  not  found  nearly  so  often  as  readers  of  archaeological  works  might 
-uppose.  Mr.  Myer  has  found  none  on  ( 'umberland  river,  and  our  lack  of  success 
in  the  discover}'  of  such  flints  on  the  Tennessee  lends  further  evidence  as  to  their 
scarcity. 

We  quote  by  permission  an  extract  from  a  letter  by  Mr.  Myer: 

"I  find  flint  implements  the  hardest  of  all  to  determine  counterfeits. 

"It  is  my  belief  that  a  great  many  bogus  relics  are  placed  upon  the  market. 

"In  my  own  collection  I  found  that  I  had  many  bogus  pieces.  1  obtained 
them  from  men  whom  I  had  known  for  many  years  and  had  full  confidence  in. 
Even  when  I  began  to  doubt  them  I  felt  I  was  doing  them  an  injustice.  I  did 
not  believe  they  knew  enough  or  had  the  skill  to  make  the  flints. 

"I  was  unable  to  get  definite  proof,  but  I  became  convinced  I  had  been  de- 

1  "Arrliii'ological   History  of  Ohio,"  p.  40(i. 

-Peabody  Museum,  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Annual  Reports,  p.  Hi,"). 

•'  Exhibited  at  the  (  Vnleimial  Exposition,  Philadelphia,  1S7(>,  and  casts  of  which  are  in  the  National 
Museum,  at  Washington. 

'(ierard  Fowke.  ''Prehistoric  Objects  Classified  and  Described,"  Missouri  Historical  Society. 
Department  of  Archaeology,  Bulletin  I.  Warren  K.  Moorehead,  "The  Stone  Age  in  North  America." 
Vol.  I.  fins.  Kil,  KiL',  p.  Kit  1 1  xi  i/.  See  also  Thruston's  interesting  supplement  to  Chapter  VII,  u/>  cil. 

•'The'  last  letter  received  by  us  from  our  good  friend,  the  late  (len.  (!ates  P.  Tlmiston,  written 
shortly  before  his  death,  is  very  specific  as  to  this  counterfeiting  and  faking  of  flints.  The  fact,  more 
over,  is  well  known  in  archeeological  circles. 


s 


170  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

coivod.  It  was  a  bitter  pill  to  have  to  take  out  of  my  collection  some  of  my  most 
cherished  specimens.  I  did  it  and  am  glad  I  did.  Science  wants  the  truth. 
The  professional  relic  dealer  somehow  gets  in  touch  with  much  doubtful  stuff 
of  very  rare  form." 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  archaeology  of  Tennessee  is  its  pottery,  of  which 
but  little  has  been  written  except  of  that  of  the  region  centering  around  Nashville, 
on  Cumberland  river,  where  most  of  the  pottery  discovered  in  the  State  has  been 
found.  The  earthenware  of  this  region  is  similar  to  most  of  that  of  the  Middle 
Mississippi  region,  whose  approximate  southern  boundary  seems  to  be  Arkansas 
river — in  all  events  west  of  the  Mississippi  such  is  the  case. 

The  pottery  of  the  Middle  Mississippi  region,  while  extremely  interesting,  is 
bizarre  rather  than  artistic.  The  ware,  shell-tempered,  is  coarse,  thick  and  lack 
ing  in  surface  finish;  forms  are  often  asymmetrical;  undecorated  vessels  abound. 
The  interest  in  this  ware  lies  mainly  in  its  numerous  curious  effigy  vessels,  and 
in  its  polychrome  decoration  which,  however,  is  less  often  met  with  in  Tennessee 
than  it  is  across  the  Mississippi. 

For  delicate  pottery  of  artistic  form,  with  highly  polished  surface,  often  bear 
ing  gracefully  curved,  and  sometimes  intricate,  incised  or  trailed  line-decoration, 
and  seldom  without  ornamentation  of  some  kind,  one  must,  as  a  rule,  seek  farther 
south — in  the  Lower  Mississippi  region.  A  concrete  example  of  this  may  be  seen 
in  Plate  VIII  of  Thruston's  work,  where,  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner,  a  vessel 
from  the  Lower  Mississippi  region  is  shown,  while  all  the  others  are  from  the 
Middle  Mississippi  territory. 

The  pottery  of  middle  Tennessee,  while  inferior  to  that  of  some  parts  of  the 
Middle  Mississippi  region  (the  northern  part  of  Arkansas,  for  example,  with  its 
"tea-pot"  vessels,  its  head-vessels,  its  exceptional  cases  of  incised  decoration) 
far  surpasses  such  earthenware  as  has  been  found  along  Tennessee  river  in 
Tennessee,  if  we  except  the  rare  examples  of  presumably  a  local  culture  near 
Chattanooga,  to  be  described  in  this  report. 

We  shall  now  turn  from  the  archaeology  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  in  general 
to  consider  Tennessee  river  in  connection  with  our  archaeological  work  upon  it. 

Tennessee  river  begins  in  eastern  Tennessee,  a  short  distance  above  the  city 
of  Knoxville,  and  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  French  Broad  and  Holston  rivers.1 
Continuing  westwardly  and  southerly,  somewhat  below  the  city  of  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.,  it  enters  the  State  of  Alabama,  where  it  follows  first  a  southwesterly  and 
then  a  northwesterly  course,  and,  bordering  the  State  of  Mississippi  for  about  ten 
miles  on  one  side,  it  again  enters  the  State  of  Tennessee.  Turning  northward, 
ihe  river  flows  first  through  Tennessee  and  then  through  Kentucky  to  its  union 

1  In  former  times  Tennessee  river  was  regarded  as  beginning  at  Kingston,  by  the  junction  of  Ihe 
( 'linrh  and  Holston  rivers.  In  the  report  of  Col.  S.  II.  Long,  made  in  1830,  Tennessee'  river  is  regarded 
as  beginning  at  the  union  of  the  Holston  and  the  Little  Tennessee.  At  present  Tennessee  river  is 
considered  as  stated  in  the  text.  All  this  information  we  have  from  Major  II.  Burgess,  Corps  of 
Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  now  stationed  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  who  in  so  many  ways  has  aided  our  expedition. 


ABORK1IXAL  SITES  OX  TEXXESSEE  RIVER.  177 

with  Ohio  river,  at  Paducah.  Ky.,  a  distance  of  (>f)2  measured  miles,  following 
the  course  of  the  stream. 

Tennessee  river,  which  flows  through  rock  and  gravel,  has  not  constantly 
changed  its  course  as  have  some  other  southern  rivers  which  pass  through  alluvial 
deposit. 

Though  showing  ample  evidence  of  aboriginal  occupancy  along  its  entire 
course,  the  Tennessee  possesses  but  few  aboriginal  sites  of  importance.  Its 
greatest  mound  (at  Florence,  Ala.),  quadrangular,  with  flat  top,  doubtless  domi 
ciliary,  is  42  feet  in  height.  Xo  other  mound  on  the  river  approaches  it  in  al 
titude.  The  principal,1  and  really  only  notable  group  of  mounds  on  Tennessee 
river,  is  on  the  Battlefield  of  Shiloh,  near  Pittsburg  Landing,  Tcnn.,  where  seven 
interesting  mounds,  most  of  them  quadrangular  and  probably  domiciliary,  testify 
to  the  former  presence  of  an  aboriginal  town.  The  highest  of  these  is  about  15 
feet,  though  in  a  description  of  the  group  which  has  been  published,  the  height  of 
this  mound,  by  including  part  of  the  river  bank,  is  made  considerably  greater. 

Beginning  at  Hiwassee  Island  in  eastern  Tennessee,  and  continuing  up  the 
river  to  Lenoir  City,  a  distance  of  101  miles  by  water,  in  almost  continuous 
sequence  are  groups  of  mounds,  blunt  cones  in  shape,  few  more  than  10  or  11 
feet  in  height  and  most  much  less  than  that.  These  mounds,  erected  for  burial 
purposes,  in  all  probability,  contain,  so  far  as  is  known,  but  few  artifacts  in  con 
nection  with  the  burials,  which  are  but  sparsely  encountered  in  them.  They 
have  been  largely  dug  into  in  a  limited  way,  by  people  having  an  exagger 
ated  idea  of  the  value  of  Indian  objects,  fostered  by  the  presence  of  traders 
who  themselves,  or  through  agents,  almost  patrol  the  river.'-  Had  anything 
of  any  consequence  been  found  in  all  this  digging  in  these  mounds,  it  is  cer 
tain  that  they  all  would  have  been  torn  to  pieces  long  ago,  since  Tennessee1 
river  is  thickly  populated  throughout  its  length  and  scarcely  a  mound  on  it  is 
out  of  sight  of  some  habitation. 

Xo  aboriginal  cemeteries  of  any  considerable  size  border  the  river,  and  sites 
marked  by  the  presence  of  stone  graves  arc  comparatively  few  and  of  very 
limited  extent.  Although  common  report  along  the  river  tells  of  the  great  flood 
of  18(57  (and  of  succeeding  though  less  important  ones),  and  describes  the  fields 
after  its  subsidence  as  showing  slabs  of  stone,  human  bones,  and  artifacts,  and 
although  one  hears  of  small  groups  of  stone  graves  that  have  been  plowed  away 
within  the  memory  of  present  inhabitants,  it  is  unlikely  the  Tennessee  valley. 
at  best  but  the  border  of  the  stone-grave  people,  ever  contained  anything  like 
the  number  of  stone  graves  formerly  found  in  central  Tennessee.  Had  Tennes 
see  river  ever  possessed  stone-grave  cemeteries  similar  in  extent  to  those  found 
farther  north,  they  would  have  been  noted  and  searched  long  prior  to  the  great 

1  The  group  of  mounds  at  S;i vamiah,  Tcnn.,  described  in  the  Smithsonian  Report  for  1S70,  p.  His 
(I  xi  i/.,  has  been  largely  dug  away,  now  being  within  the'  limits  of  I  he  town. 

:  Part  way  up  the  river,  we  were  immediately  preceded  by  a  dealer;  nearly  from  Chattanooga  on 
our  downward  journey,  a  t  radcr  went  ahead  of  us  in  a  motor  boat,  seeking  to  buy  Indian  relics  and  post 
ing  notices  as  to  their  purchase.     Other  traders  were  encountered 
i:{   JOUHN.  A.  N.  S.  PHI  LA..   VOL.  XVI. 


178  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

flood,  as  was  the  case  in  contra!  Tennessee,  whose  antiquities  have  been  described 
for  nearly  a  century. 

Herewith  we  present  a  map  of  Tennessee  river  showing  the  location  of  stone 
graves  along  its  course,  based  on  our  own  observation  with  one  exception  which 
carries  the  presence  of  the  stone  grave  somewhat  farther  cast  than  we  found  it. 

The  reader  will  note  that  the  stone  graves,  that  is  to  say  burials  made  in 
connection  with  slabs  or  masses  of  stone,  have,  for  convenience,  been  divided 
on  the  map  into  three  classes:  (a)  the  regular,  enclosed  burial  or  box-grave  found 
most  extensively  and  constantly  in  middle  Tennessee;  (6)  the  burial  made  on  or 
under  slabs  or  masses  of  stone  but  otherwise  unenclosed;  and  (c)  unusual 
forms. 

It  will  be  noted  that,  as  one  might  expect,  in  the  northwestern  area  of  Ten 
nessee  river  the  box-grave  predominates.  Box-graves,  however,  as  will  be  seen, 
were  found  by  us  to  a  limited  extent  in  eastern  Tennessee,  and  even,  in  an 
isolated  case,  on  the  most  southerly  part  of  Tennessee  river,  in  Alabama,  from 
which  State  no  stone  graves  of  any  kind  had  been  reported  before,  though  their 
presence  there  had  been  conjectured  by  Cyrus  Thomas. 

Stone  graves  of  other  forms,  also,  were  present  along  parts  of  Tennessee 
river  in  Alabama,  and  probably  in  a  scattering  way  are,  or  were,  along  all  the 
stream  there. 

We  may  repeat  that  artifacts  in  the  stone  graves  along  Tennessee  river,  as 
the  reader  will  see.  are  seldom  encountered,  and  though  objects  of  great  interest 
have  been  found  in  stone  graves  elsewhere,  the  statement  that  these  depositories 
of  the  dead  anywhere  are  rich  in  aboriginal  remains  comes  from  those  who  have 
never  investigated  stone  graves  and  who  apparently  write  in  ignorance  of  the 
facts. 

Stone  graves  in  any  part  of  the  country,  it  may  be  said,  resemble  a  lottery: 
one  hears  of  the  isolated  winners  but  not  of  the  legions  who  drew  blanks — and 
this  applies  in  the  main  to  aboriginal  mounds,  cemeteries,  and  burials  of  every 
kind  throughout  the  country. 

Often  with  stone  graves,  unenclosed  burials  were  found  by  us  along  Tennessee 
river,  though  Professor  Putnam  informs  us  that  in  his  investigations  in  central 
Tennessee,  near  Nashville,  almost  no  unenclosed  interments  were  found  associated 
with  stone-grave  burials,  cither  by  himself  or  by  Mr.  Curtis  who  continued 
Professor  Putnam's  work  there. 

Along  Tennessee  river,  as  the  reader  will  sec,  many  stone  graves,  as  stated, 
were  not  of  the  box-grave  variety  which  in  central  Tennessee  is  almost  exclusively 
found;  and  along  all  parts  of  Tennessee  river  many  mounds  and  sites  containing 
burials  are  without  stone  graves  of  any  kind. 

( 'omparatively  little  investigation  of  a  serious  character  had  been  attempted 
along  Tennessee  river  prior  to  the  commencement  of  our  own  work.  Here  and 
there  a  mound  or  a  group  of  mounds  had  been  examined,  but  no  systematic  work 
on  the  stream  had  been  done. 


ABORIGINAL  SITKS  OX  TENNESSEE  1UYEH. 


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180  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

In  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology  are 
accounts  of  the  exploration  of  a  few  sites  along  Tennessee  river  in  Tennessee 
and  in  Alabama. 

In  the  Smithsonian  Reports  are  accounts  of  (a)  the  exploration  of  the  mounds 
near  Citico  creek/  Hamilton  Co.,  in  the  outskirts  of  Chattanooga  (1867,  p.  401 
et  ««?.);  (ft)  the  group  of  mounds  at  Savannah,  Tenn.,  already  noted  (1870,  p.  408 
ct  scq.},  and  (c)  the  mounds  on  the  Williams  Farm,  Hardin  Co.  (p.  416  et  seq.). 

In  Catalogue  of  Prehistoric  Works  East  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  by  Cyrus 
Thomas,  arc  noted  a  number  of  mounds  along  Tennessee  river,  most  of  which 
have  been  referred  to  by  authorities  already  cited.  The  exact  location  of  some 
of  these  mounds  is  at  present  hard  to  determine,  owing  to  change  of  ownership, 
a  difficulty  not  easily  overcome,  however,  in  the  case  of  mounds  of  moderate 
size  not  on  some  island  or  near  a  town  or  the  union  of  streams. 

General  Thruston  (op.  cit.)  speaks  of  the  mounds  at  Savannah  (p.  43),  and 
refers  to  a  group  near  Johnsonville,  Tenn.  (p.  46),  which  probably  are  the  mounds 
at  Dixie  Landing,  Humphreys  Co.,  described  by  us.  There  are  also  references 
to  various  aboriginal  artifacts  found  along  Tennessee  river,  including  two  stone 
pipes,  one  from  near  Kingston,  Tenn.  (Fig.  85),  the  other  from  near  Chattanooga 
(Fig.  101). 

Practically  no  description  of  the  archaeology  of  northern  Alabama,  which 
includes  part  of  Tennessee  river,  has  been  published  hitherto. 

For  a  description  of  Ohio  stone  graves  not  of  the  box-grave  variety  but  of 
irregular  forms  (and  it  is  irregular  forms  one  finds  as  a  rule  in  northern  Alabama 
and  in  eastern  Tennessee,  as  we  know),  consult  Gerard  Fowke,  " Archaeological 
History  of  Ohio,"  Chapter  XI. 

Tennessee  river  (as  before  stated,  652  miles  in  length)  was  investigated  by 
us,  practically  through  all  of  January,  February,  March,  April,  and  November, 
1914,  and  January,  February,  March,  and  April,  1915,  the  stream  having  been 
thrice  gone  over  in  the  interest  of  our  investigation:  once,  as  we  shall  detail,  by 
our  agents,  and  twice  by  our  expedition — the  journey  up  and  the  journey  down. 

The  whole  river  was  carefully  searched  in  advance  of  our  coming  by  Mr.  J  S. 
Raybon  (who  later  commanded  the  steamboat  during  the  period  of  our  archaeo 
logical  work  on  Tennessee  river)  and  a  companion,  in  the  summer  of  1913,  and 
by  them  the  exact  situation  of  mounds  and  dwelling-sites  was  determined,  with 
the  names  and  addresses  of  their  owners,  to  whom  requests  for  permission  to 
investigate  were  sent  by  us. 

In  former  years,  as  a  rule,  permission  has  been  readily  obtained,  but  while 
many  owners  along  Tennessee  river  sent  affirmative  replies,  some  refused, 
while  a  fair  proportion  failed  to  respond,  even  though  addressed  a  second  time. 
Such  of  these  as  were  called  upon  by  us  and  found  at  home  (absentees  were  nu 
merous  and  some  lived  beyond  our  reach)  usually  gave  consent. 

1  Another  Citico  creek,  which  empties  into  Little  Tennessee  river  and  lias  a  mound  near  it,  is 
described  in  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX  TEXXESSEE  HIVKH.  1M 

A  few  refusals  were  based  on  the  fact  that  former  diggers  i  doubt  less  treasure- 
seekers,  traders,  or  irresponsible  natives)  had  not  conformed  to  their  agreements, 
but  had  decamped,  leaving  excavations  unfilled  and  fields  in  disorder,  behavior 
for  which  we  (and  one  could  not  otherwise  expect)  had  to  suffer. 

We  believe  the  refusal  of  some  of  the  owners  to  permit  us  to  dig  was  not  based 
on  the  firm  belief  in  the  presence  of  buried  treasure  in  the  mounds  and  sites, 
which  prevails  all  over  the  South  (and  probably  everywhere  else  where  aboriginal 
remains  exist),  but  on  an  exaggerated  idea  of  the  value  of  Indian  objects.  Our 
offer  to  hand  over  to  owners  all  treasure  unearthed  by  us  on  their  properties 
has  elsewhere  been  to  some  extent  an  inducement'  to  grant  permission  to  explore. 
and  doubtless  had  similar  influence  on  Tennessee  river,  since  most  of  them  thus 
were  having  done  gratis  by  others  what  for  years  they  had  been  thinking  of  doing 
themselves  at  considerable  cost. 

Seldom  has  faith  been  more  misplaced  than  is  that  of  the  class  of  owners  in 
question  in  the  value  of  the  contents  of  their  mounds  and  sites.  The  presence 
of  traders  in  Indian  artifacts  along  the  river  and  the  receipt  of  circulars  from 
traders  in  large  cities  is  likely,  of  course,  to  foster  an  exaggerated  belief  in  the 
value  of  aboriginal  relics.  In  point  of  fact,  however,  dealers  on  Tennessee 
river  seldom  obtain  anything  other  than  surface  finds,  "Injun  spikes,"  "are- 
heads"  (arrowheads),  and  celts,  in  addition  to  what  some  of  them  at  least  are 
seeking,  namely,  broken  masses  of  flint,  rejects  and  fragmentary  points,  from 
all  of  which  counterfeits  of  Indian  relics  and  freaks  of  the  fakirs'  fancy  can  be 
manufactured. 

These  owners  are  still  further  influenced  by  the  exaggerated  tales  current 
among  the  inhabitants  along  the  river  as  to  the  prices  obtained  for  Indian  relics. 
One  person  recounted  in  all  seriousness  to  us  how  a  man  having  dug  in  a  site 
(where  we  found  nothing  of  any  consequence)  had  obtained  curiosities  which  he 
had  sold  for  an  immense  sum.  The  fact  that  this  individual  had  died  poor  shortly 
afterward  did  not  seem  to  shake  the  person's  belief  in  his  story. 

Although  in  the  case  of  Tennessee  river  it  has  been  our  intention  to  enumerate 
all  sites2  and  mounds  (of  course,  investigating  them  when  possible),  it  is  highly 
probable,  owing  to  the  great  number  along  the  stream,  that  many  escaped  the 
search  of  our  agents,  supplemented  later  by  our  own. 

The  names  of  owners  of  all  mounds,  whether  permission  to  investigate  has 
been  accorded  or  not,  have  been  introduced  into  this  report  more  clearly  to 
establish  the  identity  of  the  mounds  and  also  for  the  reason  that  a  forthcoming- 
publication  by  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  which  will  draw  to  a  con 
siderable  extent  upon  our  work,  will,  when  possible,  include  the  names  of  owners. 
When,  in  our  report,  the  withholding  of  permission  to  dig  has  been  noted,  this 

'Sumo  owners,  of  course,  permit  investigation  through  interest  in  science  and  with  no  belief  in 
buried  treasure. 

-  Some  small  dwelling-sites,  evident  through  superficial  debris,  when  investigated  and  found  prob 
ably  to  be  without  burials,  have  not  been  noted. 


182 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


has  been  done  by  us  to  explain  the  absence  of  investigation  on  our  part  and  for 
no  other  purpose. 

Although  in  our  "Certain  Aboriginal  Mounds  of  the  Georgia  Coast"1  we  have 
discussed  various  forms  of  aboriginal  burial,  it  may  afford  information  to  some 
to  have  the  matter  presented  again. 

The  extended  burial,  as  its  name  implies,  is  at  full  length,  usually  on  the 
back,  very  exceptionally  face  down. 


FIG.  1. — A  skeleton  closely  flexed  to 
the  right .  The  trunk  and  extremities  are 
in  the  same  plane. 


FIG.  2. — A  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the  right. 
trunk  and  extremities  are  in  the  same  plane. 


The  skeleton  closely  flexed  to  the  right  or  the  left,  lies  with  the  upper  part 
of  the  trunk  on  the  back,  the  lower  extremities  drawn  up  close  to  the  body,  the 
legs  back  against  the  thighs,  these  extremities  directed  to  the  right  or  the  left, 
as  the  case  may  be,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1,  in  which  a  burial  closely  flexed  to  the 
right  is  represented. 

The  burial  partly  flexed  to  the  right  or  the  left  is  similar  to  the  closely-flexed 
burial  just  described,  with  the  exception  that  the  thighs  are  less  closely  flexed 
and  the  legs  are  not  drawn  up  immediately  against  the  thighs.  A  burial  partly 
flexed  to  the  right  is  shown  in  Fig.  2. 

A  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the  right  or  left  lies  with  the  trunk  on  the  side, 
the  extremities  closely  flexed  against  the  body,  to  the  right  or  the  left,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  3,  in  which  a  burial  closely  flexed  on  the  right  is  represented. 

A  burial  partly  flexed  on,  the  right  or  the  left  has  the  trunk  on  the  side,  the 
thighs  less  closely  flexed  against  the  trunk,  the  legs  separated  from  the  thighs 
to  a  lesser  or  greater  extent,  as  may  be  seen  in  Fig.  4,  which  illustrates  a  skeleton 
partly  flexed  on  the  right. 

The  reader  will  note  that  the  expression  right  or  left  applies  to  the  skeleton 
and  not  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left  hand  of  the  observer  who  is  facing  it. 

The  bunched  burial  sometimes  consists  of  loosely  piled  bones  with  no  attempt 
at  arrangement,  and  sometimes  of  masses  of  long-bones  lying  parallel,  with  skulls 
placed  on  top  or  at  the  side.  A  good  example  of  the  latter  kind  is  shown  in  our 
"Certain  Mounds  of  Arkansas  and  of  Mississippi,"2  Fig.  1. 

1  Journ.  Acad.  Xat.  Sri.  Phila.,  Vol.  XI,  p.  6  ct  ser/. 
Mourn.  Acad.  Nat,  Sci.  Phila.,  Vol.  XIII. 


ABORKIIXAL  SITKS  OX  TKXXKSSKK  RIVER. 


183 


The  l)iirial  in  a  sitting  position,  so  often  reported  by  novices,  is  very  rarely1 
encountered,  if  we  may  judge  from  many  hundreds  of  burials  noted  in  our  ex 
perience,  provided  the  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed  is  that  of  a  skeleton  placed 
in  a  sitting  posture,  upright,  in  the  ground. 

If  the  skeleton  in  question  lies  in  the  position  of  one  seated,  who  has  been 
pushed  over  on  the  side,  then  it  is  simply  a  flexed  burial  and  nothing  else,  for 
when  one  is  in  a  sitting  position  the  trunk  is  vertical. 

Human  remains  in  the  mounds  and  sites  along  Tennessee  river  are,  as  a 
general  rule,  much  decayed  and  consequently  very  fragmentary,  sometimes 
being  indicated  only  by  merest  traces.  Wishing  to  avoid  repetition  of  details, 
we  have  not  in  each  instance  described  in  this  report  the  condition  of  the  remains 
encountered,  but  where  they  have  been  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation,  the  fact 


FIG.  15. — A  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the  right. 
The  trunk  and  extremities  are  in  the  same  plane. 


FIG.  4. — A  skeleton  partly  flexed   on  the  right. 
The  trunk  and  extremities  are  in  the  same  plane 


usually  has  been  noted.  When  the  burial  is  discovered,  the  depth  from  the  sur 
face  is  recorded,  and,  as  given,  is  to  the  upper  surface  of  the  bones.  Consequently 
as  the  remains  usually  are  crushed,  five  or  six  inches  added  to  the  given  depth 
would  represent  the  maximum  depth  of  the  burial.  All  skeletons,  when  enough 
remains  were  found  to  permit  determination,  when  not  otherwise  described,  were 
of  adults. 

Thirty  skulls,  in  a  condition  to  preserve,  with  some  other  bones,  were  found 
by  us  and  sent  as  a  gift  to  the  United  States  National  Museum,  where  they  have 
been  received  (accession  58353)  and  examined  by  Dr.  Ales  Hrdlicka,  curator  of 
the  Division  of  Physical  Anthropology  in  that  institution. 

Doctor  Hrdlicka  has  determined  that  the  crania  obtained  by  us  at  Leadbctter 
and  Prevatt's  Landings,  two  neighboring  sites  in  western  Tennessee,  are  of  the 
Algonquin  type  and  differ  from  others  found  in  our  search  along  Tennessee  river. 

It  has  been  considered  best  that  no  paper  on  the  crania  found  by  us  on  Ten 
nessee  river  be  prepared  by  Doctor  Hrdlicka  in  connection  with  this  report,  it 

1  We  are  told  by  a  prominent  investigator  that  in  all  his  experience  he  has  never  encountered 
bodies  buried  in  a  sitting  or  squatting  or  crouching  position. — (Jerard  Fowke.  "Antiquities  of  Central, 
and  Southeastern  Missouri,  "  p.  2,  Bulletin  .'57,  Bureau  of  American  Kthnology.  Burials  of  this  variety, 
though  most  exceptional,  have  been  found  by  Professor  Putnam;  and  by  us,  as  readers  of  our  account 
of  the  Hampton  Place,  Hamilton  County,  Tenn.,  may  see. 


184  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

being  regarded  advisable  to  await  results  from  our  future  work  in  regions  border 
ing  the  scene  of  our  latest  investigation  that  a  wider  field  for  comparison  may  be 
available. 

All  pathological  specimens  obtained  by  us  along  Tennessee  river  have  been 
given  to  the  Army  Medical  Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Dr.  M.  G.  Miller  accompanied  the  expedition,  as  anatomist,  throughout  the 
investigation  of  Tennessee  river,  as  has  been  the  case  during  all  our  archaeological 
work  in  the  South,  and  has  assisted  in  putting  this  report  through  the  press. 

Mr.  S.  G.  Weir,  with  us  for  the  fourth  and  fifth  seasons  as  assistant,  lent 
efficient  aid  in  many  ways. 

The  thanks  of  the  Academy  are  tendered  Major  H.  Burgess,  Corps  of  En 
gineers,  U.  S.  A.,  stationed  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  for  much  valuable  information 
and  for  lists  of  mounds  and  sites,  obtained  by  him  from  officials  under  his  direction 
and  covering  the  entire  river;  to  Prof.  Frederic  W.  Putnam  for  careful  revision 
of  this  introduction  and  for  many  valuable  suggestions;  to  Prof.  F.  A.  Lucas  of 
the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York,  and  to  Dr.  G.  S.  Miller,  Jr., 
of  the  United  States  National  Museum,  for  determination  of  the  bones  of  lower 
animals;  to  Dr.  H.  A.  Pilsbry  and  Mr.  E.  G.  Vanatta  for  identification  of  shells; 
to  Mr.  F.  J.  Keeley1  for  determination  of  minerals  and  rocks;  to  Dr.  H.  F.  Keller 
for  chemical  tests;  to  Mr.  Charles  C.  Willoughby  for  much  valuable  assistance; 
to  Miss  H.  N.  Wardle  for  aid  with  the  index;  to  Mr.  F.  W.  Hodge  for  literary 
revision  of  the  report. 

The  Academy  also  warmly  thanks  the  owners  of  mounds  and  aboriginal 
dwelling-sites,  who  so  kindly  placed  them  at  its  disposal  for  investigation,  and 
assures  them  that  their  courtesy  is  most  fully  appreciated. 

All  mounds  and  dwelling-sites  are  described  in  order  ascending  the  river, 
though  the  investigation,  while  usually,  was  not  always,  made  in  this  way. 

Measurements  in  this  report  are  approximate;  reductions  are  linear. 

The  conchshell  so  often  referred  to  in  connection  with  aboriginal  handiwork, 
formerly  called  Fulgur  by  conchologists  and  by  us  in  all  our  writings,  is  now  known 
as  Busycon  and  is  so  referred  to  in  this  report. 

1  Slides  for  microscopic  examination,  for  obvious  reasons  could  not  be  furnished  Mr.  Keeley, 
hence  exact  determination  cannot  be  guaranteed  in  all  cases,  as  otherwise  could  have  been  done. 


PART  I. 

TKXXKSSEK  KIVEK  i\  KENTUCKY  AND  IN  WESTERN  TENNESSEE. 

Mounds  and  Sites. 

Mound  near  Kills  Crock,  Livingstone  County,  Kentucky. 

Cemetery  near  the  Star  Lime  Works,  Lyon  County,  Ky. 

Mounds  on  the  Ilenson  Place,  Marshall  County,  Ky. 

Mound  near  Barrett  Ferry,  Stewart  County,  Tennessee. 

Mounds  on  the  A.  J.  Gray  Place,  Stewart  County,  Tenn. 

Cemetery  on  the  T.  J.  Gray  Place,  Stewart  County,  Tenn. 

Dwelling  site  on  the  Thompson  Place,  Henry  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  near  Lcatherwood  Creek,  Stewart  County,  Tenn. 

Dwelling-site  on  the  Sykes  Place,  Benton  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  and  Dwelling-site  near  Dixie  Landing,  Humphreys  County,  Tenn. 

Dwelling-site  at  Prevatt's  Landing,  Benton  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  West  Shipp's  Landing,  Benton  County,  Tenn. 

Dwelling-site  at  Leadbetter  Landing,  Benton  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  opposite,  the  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek,  Decatur  County,  Tenn. 

Dwelling-site  near  mouth  of  Beech  Creek,  Wayne  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  Old  Furnace  Landing,  Decatur  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  on  Swallow  Bluff  Island,  Decatur  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  at  Old  Callens'  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  Dickey's  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  on  the  Williams  Place,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  at  Savannah,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  opposite  Wolf  Island,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  near  Perkins  Bluff,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  Pittsburg  Ferry,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  near  Pittsburg  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  Xash  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  below  North  Carolina  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  North  Carolina  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Dwelling-site  near  Pickwick  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  Boyd's  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mound  near  Swan  Pond  Landing,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 

Mounds  near  the  mouth  of  Yellow  Creek,  Hardin  County,  Tenn. 


II    .101  K\.   A.   X.  S.    I'HII.A.,    VOL.    XVI. 


MAP  OF  TENNESSEE  RIVER 
IN  KENTUCKY  AND  WESTERN  TENNESSEE 

Scale  in  miles 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  187 

MOUND  NEAR  ELLIS  CREEK,  LIVINGSTONE  COUNTY,  KENTUCKY. 

In  woods  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  F.  Buford,  who  lives  nearby,  was  a  mound  of 
loamy  clay,  about  one  mile  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the  union  of  Ellis  Creek 
with  Tennessee  river.  This  mound,  which  had  undergone  considerable  disturb 
ance  previous  to  our  coming,  was  two  feet  in  height.  Its  length  and  breadth 
were  respectively  64  and  38  feet.  On  the  surface  lay  a  number  of  slabs  of 
silicious  rock,  the;  largest  being  about  2  feet  by  one  foot,  with  a  maximum 
thickness  of  3  inches,  and  was  about  as  large  as  any  subsequently  found  by  us  in 
the  mound. 

Five  badly  disturbed  stone  graves  and  two  complete  ones,  all  of  the  box  variety, 
were  encountered  by  us  in  an  investigation  which  included  a  large  portion  of 
the  mound. 

Burial  No.  2  had  its  upper  slabs  about  one  foot  below  the  surface  of  the  mound. 
These  slabs,  which  were  in  two  layers,  were  not  found  evenly  placed,  and  pre 
sumably  had  undergone  disturbance  either  through  the  settling  of  the  soil  or  on 
account  of  roots  of  a  tree,  which  had  entered  the  grave.  The  supporting  slabs 
at  the  sides,  of  a  single  thickness,  were  not  vertical  but  sloped  inward,  and  while 
the  margins  of  some  of  the  upper  slabs  projected  above  the  general  level,  others 
had  fallen  into  the  grave.  The  grave,  which  was  without  slabs  on  the  bottom, 
was  somewhat  contracted  toward  the  upper  part.  Its  inside  measurements 
were:  width,  at  the  top,  10  inches;  at  the  bottom,  21  inches;  depth,  14  inches; 
length,  6  feet  5  inches.  The  grave  lay  ESE.  and  WNW. 

The  skeleton,  traceable  by  friable  fragments  (the  greatest,  four  or  five  inches 
in  length)  and  a  few  teeth,  evidently  had  been  extended,  heading  eastward. 
Near  where  the  skull  had  been  was  a  pendant  of  indurated  clay,  originally  copper 
coated,  having  on  one  side  a  deep  groove.  Also  near  the  head,  together,  were 
what  seems  to  be  a  claw  represented  in  wood  and  a  perforated  object  of  bone 
partly  decayed,  hollowed  out  on  one  side  perhaps  to  serve  as  a  socket  for  the 
claw,  which  shows  no  perforation  or  groove  for  independent  attachment.  Both 
these  objects  had  been  overlaid  with  sheet-copper  whose  salts  had  preserved  a 
small  piece  of  matting  found  with  them.  In  the  grave  also,  but  perhaps  of  ac 
cidental  introduction,  were  several  chips  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  3  was  without  trace  of  bone.  The  grave,  whose  upper  slabs  lay 
one  foot  below  the  surface  of  the  mound,  was  in  outside  measurement:  length, 
3  feet  8  inches;  width,  1  foot  6  inches;  height,  14  inches.  It  extended  NX\V.  and 
SSE.  This  grave,  which  had  not  suffered  disturbance  as  had  the  other,  showed 
an  effort  had  been  made  to  keep  an  even  upper  margin  for  the  slabs  at  the  sides 
in  order  to  have  those  on  top  as  level  as  possible.  The  slabs,  however,  as  in 
Grave  No.  2,  had  no  uniformity  of  size  and  but  little  in  shape,  some  being  almost 
triangular,  though  a  tendency  could  be  noted,  perhaps,  to  have  the  stones  roughly 
oblong.  Although  some  care  had  been  taken  to  protect  the  burial,  and  in  some 
instances  slabs  five  or  six  inches  square  had  been  used,  presumably  to  cover 


188 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


openings,  other  openings  remained,  and  through  these  soil  had  entered  the 
grave. 

This  grave,  without  slabs  at  the  base,  was  covered  in  double  thickness,  the 
upper  layer  being  composed  of  five  slabs,  and  four  fragments  to  act  as  stop-gaps, 
the  under  layer  having  four  slabs  and  three  fragments.  On  one  side  were  three 
large  slabs,  while  the  opposite  side  was  made  up  of  seven  smaller  slabs  and  four 
fragments.  At  each  end  was  a  single  slab. 

In  part  of  a  grave  which  had  been  left  by  previous  diggers  who  were  said  to 
have  been  treasure-seekers  and  whose  methods  of  search  were  not  such  as 
investigators  employ,  was  a  group  of  five  mushroom-shaped  objects  of  earthen- 


FIG.  5. — Trowel  of  earthenware.     Mound  near  Ellis  Creek,  Kentucky.     (Full  size.) 

ware,  of  a  kind  now  believed  to  have  served  as  tools  in  the  making  of  pottery 
vessels,  and  which  are  described  and  figured  by  Jones,1  Thruston,2  and  Holmes.3 
One  of  these  tools,  whose  handle  terminates  in  a  rude  representation  of  an 
animal's  head,  is  shown  in  Fig.  5.  With  these  tools,  the  largest  of  which  is  4.8 
inches  in  diameter  and  2.7 i)  inches  in  height,  was  an  object  of  indurated  clay, 
somewhat  resembling  a  semilunar  knife  in  shape,  though  its  capacity  for  cutting 
must  have  been  limited. 

CEMETERY  NEAR  THE  STAR  LIME  WORKS,  LYON  COUNTY,  KENTUCKY. 

On  high  ground  immediately  back  of  the  Star  Lime  Works,  formerly  in  woods 
but  now  partly  in  cleared  ground,  in  property  belonging  to  Mr.  Crit  Nickell, 
living  nearby,  are  the  remains  of  a  small  stone-grave  cemetery  which  has  been 

1  Op.  cit.,  p.  143. 

2  Op.  cit.,  p.  Kit  et  seq.,  Fi^.  65. 

3  20th  An.  Rep.  Bur.  Am.  Kthn.,  p.  <)<)  d  xcq.,  and  PI.  XXXV. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  lx<) 

dug  into  for  many  years  and  recently  has  been  in  part  plowed  over.  (Jroups  of 
slabs  lately  plowed  up  were  seen  by  us  on  the  field  and  other  slabs  lay  in  the 
adjoining  woods.  Careful  prodding  by  us  all  over  the  ground  failed  to  come  upon 
stone  graves.  There  is  no  history  of  artifacts  having  been  found  in  the  graves 
at  this  place. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  HENSON  PLACE,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  KENTUCKY. 

On  property  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  A.  Henson,  who  lives  upon  it,  are  a  number 
of  mounds  which  may  be  reached  from  the  river  by  going  in  from  the  mouth  of 
Jonathan  creek,  about  one  mile  in  a  southerly  direction,  though  the  distance  by 
the  road  is  somewhat  greater.  We  were  informed  by  Mr.  Henson  that  these 
mounds,  all  of  which  had  been  under  cultivation  for  a  long  time  (the  Henson 
property  having  been  in  the  family  for  one  hundred  years),  had  no  history  of 
discovery  of  artifacts  or  bones. 

A  short  distance  from  the  road,  near  together,  are  two  mounds,  the  larger 
of  which,  with  flat  top,  very  irregular  in  outline  owing  to  cultivation,  is  11  feet 
6  inches  in  height.  Its  length  is  265  feet.  Measurements  of  width  would  vary 
considerably;  one  taken  near  the  middle  of  the  mound  gave  142  feet.  The 
smaller  mound,  also  with  flat  top,  evidently  had  been  quadrangular.  Its  height 
is  8  feet  6  inches;  its  basal  diameters,  118  and  128  feet.  Farther  back  in  the  field, 
but  in  full  view  from  the  mounds  just  described,  is  another  which  has  lost  much 
in  height  through  cultivation,  as  shown  by  denuded  roots  of  trees  upon  it.  Its 
height  is  5  feet  G  inches;  its  basal  diameters,  110  feet  and  180  feet.  Other  rises 
in  the  field  have  been  largely  plowed  away.  As  these  mounds,  in  our  opinion, 
had  been  domiciliary,  they  were  not  accorded  a  thorough  investigation.  Trial- 
holes  made  in  them  yielded  no  positive  result. 

Near  the  two  larger  mounds,  but  across  the  road,  in  woods,  arc  five  or  six 
humps  or  knolls,  each  from  3  to  4  feet  in  height  and  about  40  feet  in  diameter  of 
base.  These  small  mounds  had  been  much  dug  into,  some  having  five  or  six 
holes,  left  presumably  by  treasure-seekers.  We  were  informed  that  human  bones 
had  been  found  by  diggers  some  time  ago,  and  in  our  investigation,  which  cov 
ered  about  all  parts  left  of  the  mounds,  we  came  upon  the  remains  of  a  stone 
grave,  though  no  other  evidence  of  burial  in  the  mounds  was  encountered. 

MOUND  NEAR  BARRETT  FERRY,  STEWART  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

On  property  belonging  to  Mr.  William  Vinson,  who  lives  upon  it,  is  a  mound 
in  a  cultivated  field,  about  one-half  mile  NNW.  from  Barrett  Ferry  Landing. 
According  to  Mr.  Vinson,  this  mound  has  been  plowed  over  for  nearly  seventy- 
five  years,  and  so  far  as  he  knows,  nothing  in  the1  way  of  bones  or  artifacts  has 
been  taken  from  it,  though  the  mound  has  been  greatly  reduced  in  height  during 
cultivation.  The  mound,  which  no  doubt  is  greatly  spread,  is  roughly  circular 
as  to  the  base,  the  present  diameter  being  about  100  feet.  The  height  is  4.5  feet. 
Our  investigation  showed  this  mound  to  have  had  fireplaces  at  various  levels, 
but  yielded  neither  bone  nor  artifact. 


190  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  A.  J.  GRAY  PLACE,  STEWART  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

About  one  mile  in  a  northerly  direction  from  Moltke,  a  settlement  on  the 
river,  are  two  mounds  near  together  in  a  cultivated  field,  in  full  view  from  the 
road  leading  from  the  landing  at  Moltke.  These  mounds  are  on  the  property 
of  Mr.  A.  J.  Gray,  whose  residence  is  in  sight  from  them. 

The  mounds  have  been  plowed  over  for  a  long  time  and  their  height  evidently 
has  been  much  reduced.  Midden  debris,  including  fresh-water  shells,  fragments 
of  coarse  pottery,  and  broken  implements  of  flint,  is  abundant  on  their  surface 
and  on  the  field  which  surrounds  them.  A  small  bi-cave  stone,  a  disc  wrought 
from  a  fragment  of  a  pottery-vessel,  a  similar  disc  centrally  perforated,  1.5  inch 
in  diameter,  several  arrowheads  of  flint,  two  agricultural  implements  of  the  same 
material,  one  rather  rude,  several  flint  knives,  were  picked  up  on  the  surface. 

The  easternmore  of  the  two  mounds,  6  feet  in  height  at  the  time  of  our  visit, 
had  a  diameter  of  96  feet.  Trial -holes  in  its  central  part  came  upon  no  sign  of 
burials,  but  among  others  that  were  put  down  near  the  margin  of  the  mound,  one 
uncovered  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  lying  on  a  fireplace  about  22  inches 
below  the  surface.  This  skeleton,  which  showed  no  trace  of  fire  and  was  not 
enclosed  in  slabs,  was  much  decayed  and  fragmentary.  Near  the  skull  was  a 
pot  about  3  inches  in  height,  on  which  two  loop-handles  had  been,  resting  in 
the  fragments  of  a  bowl  which  had  possessed  handles  similar  to  the  others.  Near 
these  vessels,  which  are  of  coarse  ware,  was  a  bowl  with  an  extension  from  one 
side  to  represent  the  beak  of  a  shell — a  common  form  for  earthenware  in  the 
Middle  Mississippi  region. 

At  the  same  fireplace,  but  not  near  enough  to  the  skeleton  to  connect  them  with 
it,  were  fragments  belonging  to  several  vessels  of  earthenware,  but  not  the  full 
complement.  Among  these  was  a  well-modeled  effigy  of  a  human  head  which 
had  formed  part  of  a  bowl. 

A  smaller  mound,  3  feet  high  and  75  feet  in  diameter,  was  on  a  ridge  giving 
the  mound  an  appearance  of  increased  height  on  one  side.  Our  digging  yielded 
no  trace  of  interments. 

Near  this  mound  the  level  ground  is  very  dark  and  gives  every  appearance  of 
long  occupancy  in  the  past,  but  as  the  field  was  planted  with  clover,  our  digging- 
was  of  necessity  limited.  Some  trial-holes  which  we  kindly  were  permitted  to 
put  down  came  upon  no  trace  of  burial,  though  a  flint  spade  was  unearthed  from 
one  of  them. 

CEMETERY  ON  THE  T.  J.  GRAY  PLACE,  STEWART  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

This  property,  adjoining  that  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Gray  and  belonging  to  Mr.  T.  J. 
Gray,  who  lives  upon  it,  includes  a  field  immediately  south  of  the  A.  J.  Gray 
Place  in  which  is  a  ridge  extending  N.  and  S.,  thickly  strewn  with  slabs  of  shale, 
which  according  to  Mr.  Gray,  the  owner,  had  been  plowed  up  in  course  of  culti 
vation  of  the  field.  Very  many  others,  we  were  told,  had  been  gathered  and 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  191 

hauled  away  from  this  ridge,  which  proved  to  be  what  was  left  of  a  small  stone- 
grave  cemetery. 

Of  the  remaining  graves,  we  opened  nineteen,  all  of  the  regular  box  variety, 
and  then,  in  view  of  the  disturbance  that  had  been  wrought  by  cultivation,  which 
precluded  obtaining  complete  data,  and  of  the  fact  that  no  artifact  was  found  in 
any  of  the  graves,  we  discontinued  work,  hoping  later  to  come  upon  a  more 
representative  site,  though  in  point  of  fact  we  found  no  stone-grave  site  equally 
desirable  on  the  whole  Tennessee  river. 

The  nineteen  stone  graves  which  were  encountered  singly  or  in  groups,  but 
never  more  than  five  together,  were  none  more  than  a  few  inches  below  the  surface 
and  had,  in  most  cases,  been  disturbed  to  some  extent  by  the  plow.  Their 
length  ranged  between  6  feet  7  inches  and  19  inches,  inside  measurement. 

The  graves  had  been  placed  as  follows:  N.  and  S.,  1 ;  NE.  by  N.,  and  S\V.  by 
S.,  1;  ENE.  and  \VS\V.,  3;  E.  by  N.  and  W.  by  S.,  5;  E.  and  W.,  8;  E.  by  S. 
and  W.  byX.,  1. 

Human  remains,  when  found  at  all,  were  badly  decayed,  sometimes  mere 
traces,  and  in  the  case  of  children  no  more  than  crowns  of  teeth — sometimes  but 
one  or  two.  Once  or  twice  bones  of  adults  were  distinguishable  throughout  the 
burial,  but  even  these  were  friable  and  past  all  chance  of  preservation.  In  eight 
graves  no  trace  of  bones  was  apparent.  Of  these,  five  had  belonged  to  children,1 
two  to  adults,  and  one  had  been  disturbed  by  the  plow  so  that  the  size  was  un 
determined. 

Of  the  eleven  graves  containing  human  remains,  eight  had  belonged  to  adults 
and  three  to  children. 

Nine  burials  had  headed  in  a  westerly  direction  and  one  toward  the  north, 
the  determination  at  times  being  based  on  the  position  of  teeth  or  of  fragments 
of  skull  in  the  grave.  One  grave  containing  minute  traces  of  bone  afforded  no 
indication  of  the  former  direction  of  the  head.  Its  size,  however,  indicated  the 
grave  of  an  adult. 

As  to  the  arrangement  of  the  body  in  the  grave,  no  determination  was  possible 
in  the  case  of  children.  Where  it  could  be  made  in  the  graves  of  adults,  the 
burial  had  been  at  full  length,  though  in  one  instance  the  skeleton  which  in  this 
case  was  clearly  distinguishable,  was  considerably  out  of  position  as  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  body,  the  bones  of  the  lower  extremities,  however,  being  in  order. 
This  disarrangement,  moreover,  was  not  attributable  to  contact  with  the  plow, 
as  the  bones  had  been  amply  protected  by  the  slabs  of  the  grave. 

The  stone  graves  at  this  place,  all  of  which  were  of  the  box-grave  variety, 
had  been  made  with  considerable  divergence  as  to  minor  detail.  Sixteen  had  a 
flooring  of  slabs,  while  three  were  without  this  feature.  The  stone  flooring  was 
invariably  of  one  thickness,  though  some  of  the  graves  had  double  thickness  on 
top  and  at  the  sides,  and,  in  one  instance,  even  at  the  head  and  the  foot. 

1  \Ye  attribute  these  graves  to  children,  fully  realizing  the  fact  that  some  .small  stone  graves  con 
tained  disjointed  bones  of  adult  skeletons  (see  Thruston,  op.  cil.,  p.  29),  but  these  graves  at  the  T.  J. 
Gray  Place  were  considerably  smaller  than  are  the  ones  referred  to  by  Thruston  and  other  writers. 


192  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Apparently  the  graves  had  first  been  dug  and  then  enclosed  interiorly  with 
slabs.  Then,  perhaps  to  support  the  slabs  additionally,  the  grave  was  filled  in 
part  with  soil,  after  which  the  slabs  for  the  floor  were  placed  in  position  in  the 
cases  where  they  were  used.  For  example,  in  one  case,  a  side  slab  nearly  20  inches 
in  height,  belonged  to  a  grave  about  9  inches  in  depth,  inside  measurement.  All 
the  graves,  however,  did  not  show  so  marked  a  difference  between  the  height  of 
the  slabs  at  the  sides  and  the  depth  of  the  grave. 

The  slabs  used  for  flooring  were  from  one  to  two  inches  in  thickness;  therefore, 
as  there;  was  usually  a  space  under  the  floor  of  the  graves,  enclosed  by  the  side 
and  end  slabs,  it  occurred  to  us  that  possibly  burials  or  artifacts  might  have  been 
placed  in  these  spaces  also.  Consequently  all  such  were  dug  out  with  a  trowel, 
with  the  utmost  care,  without,  however,  finding  bones  or  artifacts  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  single  fragment  of  pottery,  which  probably  got  in  accidentally  with  the  soil. 

As  the  reader  perhaps  is  not  familiar  with  the  minutitp  of  stone  graves,  a 
description  of  some  from  this  place  will  be  given  in  detail.  The  slabs  are  of  shale, 
probably  from  the  hillside  a  few  yards  distant.  All  graves  had  become  filled 
through  percolation  of  the  soil. 

Burial  No.  4,  extending  ENE.  and  WSW.  The  top,  in  two  layers,  consider 
ably  overlapped  the  sides  of  the  grave.  The  upper  thickness  of  the  top  was 
composed  of  four  slabs;  the  under  layer,  of  five  slabs  and  a  fragment  probably 
used  as  a  stop-gap.  One  side  had  three  slabs  and  a  fragment,  while  the  other  side 
had  but  two  slabs.  The  floor,  about  eight  inches  of  which  was  uncovered  at  one 
end,  was  made  up  of  five  slabs.  One  upright  end  of  the  grave  was  a  single  slab; 
two  narrow  ones  had  been  placed  at  the  other  end.  The  inside  measurements  of 
this  grave  were:  length,  2  feet  10  inches;  width,  1  foot  5  inches.  The  depth  was 
4.5  inches,  though  one  of  the  side  slabs  had  a  height  of  14  inches. 

Burial  No.  7,  placed  E.  and  W.,  seemed  undisturbed.  The  top  was  made  up 
of  five  slabs  and  one  small  fragment  in  a  single  layer.  At  one  side  were  three 
slabs  and  five  fragments,  a  single  thickness;  the  other  side,  in  two  layers,  was 
made  up  of  eight  slabs  and  two  fragments.  The  head  of  the  grave,  in  double 
thickness,  had  three  slabs.  The  foot,  also  double,  was  composed  of  three  slabs 
and  a  fragment.  The  floor  was  paved  with  six  slabs  and  two  small  bits  of  stone. 
This  grave,  3  feet  8  inches  by  11  inches,  had  a  depth  of  6  inches,  all  inside  measure 
ments.  The  only  human  remains  encountered  consisted  of  the  crown  of  a  child's 
molar  tooth,  in  the  western  end  of  the  grave. 

In  the  two  burials  described  numbers  of  small  slabs  were  used  in  enclosing 
the  graves,  but  sometimes  large  slabs  were  employed.  One  of  the  largest  graves 
found  at  this  place  had  but  two  slabs  to  complete  its  entire  length. 

The  foregoing  was  written  after  a  visit  to  the  T.  J.  Gray  Place  on  our  way 
up  the  river.  On  the  way  down  we  made  further  investigation  there  in  the  hope 
of  finding  a  stone  grave  or  graves  symmetrical  and  complete  to  a  degree  to  make 
illustration  desirable,  which  we  did  not  consider  we  had  done  at  the  time  of  our 
first  visit. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  !«.»:{ 

On  our  second  visit  we  were  less  exacting,  and  in  one  instance,  at  least,  enjoyed 
better  fortune. 

Among  the  wreckage  of  graves,  all  near  the  surface,  we  came  upon  the  following 
stone  box-grave  burials  worthy  of  description,  besides  a  number  of  others  which 
were  too  badly  disturbed  to  merit  it. 

Burial  No.  20,  a  beautiful  little  box-grave  3  feet  1  inch  long,  1  foot  S  inches 
wide,  and  10  inches  in  height,  outside  measurement.  This  little  grave,  which 
extended  NE.  by  E.  and  SW.  by  W.,  had  been  constructed  of  slabs  of  sandstone 


F;<;.  li.  —  Hiii-idl  Xo.  20.     Stone  box-grave  of  :\  child,  3  feet  1  inch  by  1  foot  IS  inches.     T.  .7.  dray 
Place,  Tenn. 

and  of  claystone  in  one  and  two  thicknesses,  small  masses  having  been  placed 
here  and  there  to  cover  every  opening  so  that  no  part  of  the  grave  was  unprotected. 
Among  the  smaller  stop-gaps  were  two  water-worn  bowlders  of  silicious  material, 
each  about  the  size  of  a  man's  foot.  This  interesting  grave,  which  we  show  in 
Eigs.  6,  7,  intact  and  as  it  appeared  after  the  removal  of  the  covering  slabs,  had 
an  inside  measurement  of  2  feet  5  inches  by  10  inches,  by  *)..">  inches  in  depth,  and 
possessed  a  flooring  of  slabs,  as  did  all  the  entire  graves  investigated  by  us  at  the 
time  of  our  second  visit.  The  child's  bones  that  doubtless  once  rested  in  this 
grave  presumably  had  long  since  decayed  away. 

Burials  Nos.  21  and  22,  two  graves  parallel  throughout,  about  one  foot  apart, 
each  7  feet  long  and  2  feet  3  inches  wide,  approximately.     The  tops  had  been 

15  JOUKX.   A.    X.  S.   PHILA.,    VOL.   XVI. 


194 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER, 


plowed  away.  These  graves  ran  easterly  and  westerly  and  extended  across  the 
narrow  rise  in  the  field  in  which  the  stone  graves  were,  as  did  all  the  graves  found 
by  us  on  this  second  visit,  the  skeletons  in  them,  where  any  traces  remained, 
having  the  heads  at  the  western  end.  The  two  burials  under  description,  like 
all  determined  by  us  at  this  place,  had  been  at  full  length  on  the  back. 


FIG.  7. — Burial  No.  20,  the  covering  of  the  grave  removed.  The  skeleton  had  disappeared  through 
decay.  T.  J.  (Jray  Place,  Tenn. 

Burials  Nos.  23,  24,  25,  26.  These  four  box-graves  in  a  group  had,  with  one 
exception,  lost  their  covers  by  contact  with  the  plow.  Two  of  them,  6  inches 
apart,  were  parallel  throughout.  Two  other  graves,  in  line  with  the  former 
ones,  were  not  side  by  side  to  their  full  extent,  an  end  of  each  projecting  beyond 
the  corresponding  end  of  the  other.  Burial  No.  23,  the  one  shown  in  Fig.  8, 
was  7  feet  10  inches  long  by  2  feet  8  inches  wide,  its  inside  measurements  being 
5  feet  10  inches  by  1  foot  6  inches,  by  11  inches  in  depth.  The  foot-stone  of  this 
grave  seemed  to  have  been  in  common  with  a  grave  extending  in  line  from  it. 
The  bones  in  these  four  graves,  though  traceable  throughout,  were  badly  decayed. 

Burial  No.  27,  a  skeleton  represented  by  fragments,  in  a  box-grave,  as  were 
or  had  been  all  at  this  place,  7  feet  by  2  feet  6  inches  over  all,  extending  due  E.  and 
W.  (Fig.  9).  In  the  illustration  it  is  interesting  to  note  a  slab  placed  above  the 
others  in  order  to  cover  a  space  otherwise  left  unprotected.  The  inside  meas 
urement  of  this  grave  was  6.5  feet  by  1  foot  7  inches,  by  1  foot  in  depth. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  1«K> 


FIG.  8. — Burial  Xo.  23.     Stone  box-grave,  7  feet  10  inches  by  2  feet  8  inehes.     T.  J.  Cray  l'la<v. 
Tenn. 


FIG.  9. — Burial  No.  27.     A  stone  box-grave,  7  feet  by  2.5  feet.     T.  J.  Gray  Place.  'JVnn. 


190 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


Burial  No.  28,  a  grave  running  due  E.  and  W.,  5  feet  8  inches  long  by  1.5 
foot  wide,  the  inside  measurements  being  5.5  feet  by  1  foot  2  inches,  by  10  inches 
in  depth  (Fig.  10).  In  this  grave  most  careful  search  failed  to  discover  any 
trace  of  human  remains. 

In  none  of  the  stone  graves  at  this  place  was  so  much  as  a  chip  of  flint  en 
countered. 

Crossing  the  road  which  borders  the  field  in  which  the  stone  graves  were,  one 
comes  to  the  foot  of  a  hill  near  the  top  of  which,  but  still  on  a  gentle  slope,  is  a 


,<* 

"  - 


fi       j* -   *-       ->  *»»-v  *  ^ 

.  ^^  *»-      '^  **»? 


FKI.  10.  —  Hurial  Xo.  28.  Stone  box-grave,  5  feet  8  iuclics  by  1  foot  6  inches.  T.  J.  Gray  Place. 
Tenn. 

mound  slightly  more  than  7  feet  in  height,  measured  from  the  side  highest  on  the 
slope,  and  having  diameters  of  58  feet  and  43  feet.  This  mound  (A),  which 
extends  NE.  and  SW.,  has  on  top  a  flat  ridge  27  feet  long  and  4  feet  in  width. 

About  85  yards  SSE.  from  Mound  A  is  another  mound  (B)  in  the  shape  of  a 
ridge  extending  NNE.  and  SSW.  Its  height  is  10  feet;  its  basal  length  and  width 
are  110  feet  and  48  feet,  respectively.  Its  top,  which  is  flat,  is  62  feet  in  length 
by  5  feet  in  width.  This  mound,  previous  to  our  visit,  had  been  dug  into  in  two 
places  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  sides  of  the  excavations  indicating  that  it  was 
composed  of  the  surface  clay  of  the  hill  with  an  occasional  fragment  of  rock  of  the 
kind  which  lies  plentifully  on  the  hillside. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  197 

About  75  yards  SW.  from  Mound  B  was  a  mound  (0)  having  a  square  base 
and  a  square  summit-plateau.  Its  height  was  5  feet;  the  diameter  of  the  base, 
45  feet,  and  that  of  the  summit-plateau,  17  feet. 

Just  back  of  Mound  A,  a  few  feet  apart,  in  line,  are  two  small  mounds,  that 
nearest  Mound  A  having  a  height  of  3  feet  and  a  basal  diameter  of  34  feet.  The 
other  mound  is  30  feet  in  diameter  of  base  and  1  foot  8  inches  in  height. 

In  that  side  of  Mound  A  which  was  highest  on  the  slope,  a  trench  18.5  feet 
long  by  8  feet  in  width  was  dug,  beginning  somewhat  in  from  the  margin  and 
including  the  central  part  of  the  mound.  From  the  outer  end  of  this  trench  a 
narrow  one  was  dug  to  the  apparent  margin  along  the  yellow,  underlying  soil. 

The  mound  was  composed  of  the  surface  soil  of  the  hill,  sometimes  almost 
without  masses  of  rock,  sometimes  with  a  mingling  of  angular,  silicious  masses 
such  as  one  sees  on  the  surface  of  the  hill,  few  larger  than  the  head  of  a  man,  most 
much  smaller.  In  places  also  masses  of  rock  were  piled  together  almost  without 
admixture  of  clay,  and  these  masses,  by  pouring  out  from  the  side  of  the  excava 
tion  into  the  space  at  the  inner  end  of  the  trench,  which  had  been  greatly  enlarged 
by  us,  seriously  impeded  our  work.  In  fact  it  became  evident  that  unless  the 
mound  was  investigated  with  the  aid  of  a  larger  force  of  men  than  was  at  our 
disposal,  or  that  far  more  time  was  allotted  to  it  than  was  at  our  command,  exact 
data  could  not  be  obtained,  much  of  the  stone  deposit  requiring  removal  by  hand. 

The  investigation  strongly  indicated  that  the  actual  height  of  the  mound  was 
considerably  in  excess  of  that  determined  by  us  from  the  part  highest  on  the  slope, 
for  besides  the  likelihood  of  getting  a  minimum  altitude  from  such  a  base,  digging 
showed  later  that  made-ground  to  a  depth  of  about  3  feet  was  present  on  that 
side  of  the  mound,  probably  a  kind  of  extension  the  presence  of  which  would 
decrease  the  height  of  the  mound  at  that  part  to  correspond  with  the  depth  of 
the  extension. 

Seemingly  the  mound  had  been  built  largely  of  masses  of  rock,  having  clay 
and  clay  with  a  mingling  of  rock  exteriorly  and  sometimes  in  layers  in  the  body 
of  the  mound.  What  we  believed  to  have  been  the  original  surface  of  the  hill 
was  reached  at  a  depth  of  11.5  feet. 

Burials  had  been  made  in  this  mound,  possibly  throughout  it.  In  our  central 
digging  they  were  found  lying  among  the  masses  of  rock  about  10  feet  7  inches 
from  the  summit  of  the  mound,  about  one  foot  above  the  base.  This  burial 
contained  bones  of  at  least  three  individuals,  two  adults  and  an  adolescent.  The 
parts  of  the  skeletons  were  not  in  order  and  were  spread  over  considerable  space. 
Possibly  the  burial  included  more  individuals  than  we  have  stated,  as  before  the 
bones  were  entirely  removed  an  inpouring  of  masses  of  rock  in  a  rather  threatening 
way  prevented  further  investigation  at  that  point. 

In  the  extension  at  one  side  of  the  mound,  to  which  we  have  referred,  just 
under  the  slope  of  the  mound,  the  trench  put  down  by  us,  passing  through  clay 
without  masses  of  rock,  reached  a  burial  having  mingled  bones,  including  two 
skulls  of  adults,  at  a  depth  of  3  feet  9  inches.  With  these  bones  were  two  conch 


198  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

shells  (Busycon  perversum)  in  bad  condition,  one  having  a  round  hole  in  the  front 
of  the  body  whorl,  and  the  other  a  small  perforation  at  the  end  of  the  beak  and 
another  about  in  line  in  the  body  whorl,  above  the  shoulder,  near  the  opening. 

In  the  larger  of  the  two  small  mounds  back  of  Mound  A  an  excavation  8  feet 
square  was  put  down  centrally  through  clay  similar  to  that  on  the  surface  of  the 
hill,  containing  masses  of  rock  here  and  there.  At  a  depth  of  3.5  feet,  about  in 
the  center  of  the  base  of  the  excavation,  were  remains  of  bones  of  one  individual, 
badly  decayed,  not  in  order.  At  a  short  distance  from  these  bones,  perhaps  not 
connected  with  them,  was  a  small  aggregation  of  masses  of  rock  and  a  deposit  of 
charcoal. 

Beginning  somewhat  above  the  margin  of  the  NW.  side  of  Mound  C  a  trench 
was  begun  22.5  feet  by  10  feet,  extending  through  the  center  of  the  summit- 
plateau.  At  a  depth  of  about  1.5  foot  the  clay  containing  a  few  masses  of  rock, 
through  which  the  digging  had  been  done,  came  to  an  end,  below  being  masses  of 
rock  only,  averaging  about  the  size  of  a  clenched  hand,  some  larger,  many  smaller, 
packed  together  and  containing  in  the  upper  part  clay  in  the  interstices.  Soon 
practically  no  clay  was  found,  the  mound  being  simply  a  heap  of  stone  masses, 
comparatively  small,  wedged  together,  which  after  loosening  with  the  aid  of  a 
pick,  rolled  from  the  shovels  in  the  tossing  so  that  our  men,  unused  to  such 
material,  were  almost  as  ineffective  as  is  a  beginner  who  essays  eating  peas  with 
a  knife. 

After  a  depth  of  3.5  feet  had  been  reached,  work  in  the  outer  part  of  the 
trench  was  discontinued  and  the  masses  of  rock  remaining  in  an  area  10  feet 
square  at  the  inner  end  of  the  trench  were  tossed  out  by  hand,  gray  clay  containing 
small  masses  of  rock  being  reached  at  a  depth  of  5  feet  2  inches.  This  stratum  of 
clay  proved  to  be  about  one  foot  in  depth  and  to  have  formed  on  the  solid  rock 
of  the  hill. 

It  may  be  said,  almost  with  certainty,  that  this  mound  consisted  of  a  great 
core  of  masses  of  rock,  its  symmetrical  shape  having  been  conferred  by  exterior 
application  of  clay. 

No  burials  were  found,  nor  did  we  expect  to  encounter  any  in  this  mound,  which 
doubtless  was  domiciliary,  as  denoted  by  its  form. 

We  append  the  opening  part  of  Chapter  XI  of  Mr.  Fowke's  sterling  work, 
"Archaeological  History  of  Ohio,"  this  chapter  treating  of  stone  mounds,  stone 
graves,  etc.,  and  though  referring  to  Ohio  mounds,  applies  equally  well  to  those 
under  consideration  at  this  place. 

"Where  stones  of  convenient  size  for  handling  can  be  readily  collected,  they 
are  often  used  instead  of  earth  for  construction  of  mounds.  This  is  especially  the 
case  upon  high  lands  or  in  other  situations  favorable  to  denudation  by  the  action 
of  winds  or  rains.  Such  erosion  has  a  double  effect.  Stones  formerly  covered 
are  left  loose  upon  the  surface;  and  earth  which  resists  wash  is  often  tough  and 
heavy,  requiring  much  effort  for  its  removal.  In  either  event,  the  rock  material 
may  be  easier  to  procure  and  is  equally  adapted  for  the  purpose.  In  some  cases, 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  199 

a  mound  of  stone  was  enlarged  by  heaping  earth  over  it;  in  others,  the  two  sub 
stances  are  mingled  throughout;  but,  as  a  rule,  only  stones  were  used  in  the 
larger  structures,  the  debris  now  filling  interstices  being  the  accumulation  from 
dust  and  decaying  vegetation  which  has  gradually  worked  downward  from  the 
surface  to  the  interior." 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  THOMPSON  PLACE,  HENRY  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

Following  the  road  bordering  the  river  about  one  mile  in  a  southerly  direction, 
an  aboriginal  dwelling-site  is  reached  on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  F.  A. 
Thompson,  of  Springville,  Tenn.,  situated  along  the  bank  of  the  river.  This 
site,  which  covers  a  number  of  acres,  has  much  debris  on  the  surface  Among 
other  objects,  a  number  of  arrowheads  of  flint,  nearly  all  triangular,  were  picked 
up,  and  a  well-wrought  flint  point,  5.75  inches  in  length,  from  which,  however, 
the  extremity  is  missing.  The  soil  is  a  loamy  sand. 

In  one  place  on  the  site  fragments  of  human  bones  lay  on  the  surface,  and 
trial-holes  put  down  in  the  vicinity  almost  at  once  came  upon  shallow  burials, 
none  more  than  15  inches  in  depth  and  some  considerably  less,  though  the  dark 
soil  containing  midden  refuse  extended  downward  several  feet.  Nine  burials, 
eight  of  adults  and  one  of  a  child,  were  found,  the  bones  in  fairly  good  condition 
though  none  of  the  skulls  was  entire.  The  burials,  with  the  exception  of  that  of 
an  adult,  which  had  been  disturbed,  and  the  remains  of  the  child,  as  to  which 
determination  was  not  possible,  lay  extended  on  the  back,  the  heads  of  three 
directed  S\Y.,  and  those  of  the  remaining  four  \VS\Y.  No  artifacts  were  with 
the  remains. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  LEATHERWOOD  CREEK,  STEWART  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

One-half  mile  ENE.  from  the  mouth  of  Leatherwood  Creek  arc  two  mounds 
each  about  2.5  feet  in  height  and  25  feet  in  diameter,  estimated  by  our  agent. 
Owner,  Grange  Plantation  Company,  Stribling,  Tenn.  Permission  not  granted. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  SYKES  PLACE,  BENTON  COUNTY,  TKNXKSSEE. 

This  dwelling-site,  on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  L.  J.  Sykes,  of  Eva,  Tenn., 
is  reached  by  following  the  road  from  West  Sykes  Landing  (formerly  Holland 
Landing)  for  about  one  mile  in  a  westerly  direction.  The  aboriginal  site,  in  a 
cultivated  Held,  in  full  view  from  the  railroad  passing  through  Johnsville,  a  town 
on  the  river,  is  somewhat  higher  than  the  rest  of  the  field,  and  ends  in  an  elcva*ion 
at  the  north,  with  gently  sloping  sides.  The  entire  site,  presumably,  had  slowly 
grown,  under  prolonged  occupancy,  above  the  level  of  the  rest  of  the  field.  The 
whole  surface  of  this  dwelling-place  is  so  thickly  strewn  with  fragments  of  flint 
(flakes,  chippings,  and  here  and  there  a  broken  point)  that  it  was  literally  impos 
sible  to  put  one's  foot  down  without  treading  upon  a  bit  of  flint  of  some  kind, 
and  sometimes  upon  a  number  of  them.  In  this  great  quantity  of  rejected 
material,  however,  objects  of  interest  were  scarce,  a  prolonged  search  resulting 
in  the  discoverv  of  two  arrowheads  and  a  small  hatchet  or  chisel. 


200  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

The  surface  material  differed  from  some  we  have  seen  on  sites  along  Tennessee 
river  in  that  no  pottery  was  present;  nor  was  a  single  shell  to  be  seen.  Moreover, 
no  pottery  fragments  were  found  in  the  digging.  Abundance  of  fresh-water 
shells  were  mingled  with  the  soil,  none,  however,  being  within  18  inches  of  the 
surface,  though  this  upper  soil  was  as  dark  as  that  below  it  and  evidently  had  not 
been  brought  there  to  increase*  the  height  of  the  site,  but  had  grown  under  occu 
pancy,  like  the  rest.  Evidently,  then,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  occupancy 
of  the  site,  shell-fish  were  not  in  use  as  an  article  of  diet. 

An  excavation  carried  from  the  highest  part  of  the  elevation  to  which  reference 
has  been  made,  went  through  nearly  6.5  feet  of  midden  soil  before  reaching 
underlying,  undisturbed  ground.  The  first  18  inches,  as  stated,  contained  no 
admixture  of  shells.  Then  came  about  4  feet  having  in  the  upper  part  numerous 
shells,  the  number  growing  fewer  until  in  the  last  foot  they  were  encountered 
at  rare  intervals.  The  final  foot  of  the  excavation,  however,  had  many  shells 
scattered  through  it. 

Apparently  those  inhabiting  this  dwelling-place  had  buried  where  they  lived, 
though  no  regular  cemetery  was  encountered  by  us.  Four  skeletons  were  found 
as  a  result  of  considerable  digging,  at  depths  ranging  between  10  and  39  inches, 
lying  closely  flexed,  one  on  the  right  side  and  three  on  the  left.  The  heads 
respectively,  were  directed  N.,  N.  by  W.,  NW.,  N. 

These  burials,  which  were  unenclosed,  had  no  associated  articles,  with  the 
single  exception  that  with  the  deepest  one  had  been  placed  a  musselshcll  contain 
ing  a  small  amount  of  red  oxide  of  iron  in  powder. 

MOUNDS  AND  DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  DIXIE  LANDING,'  HUMPHREYS 

("OUXTY,  TENNESSEE. 

On  property  of  Mr.  J.  II.  Pearl,  who  resides  there,  within  sight  from  Dixie 
Landing,  on  high  ground  somewhat  back  from  the  river,  is  a  mound,  once  quad 
rangular  with  a  level  summit-plateau.  The  mound,  8.5  feet  in  height,  measured 
from  the  east,  where  it  adjoins  a  great  level  field,  seems  of  much  greater  altitude 
on  its  other  sides,  which  in  appearance  are  heightened  by  sloping  ground  on  which 
they  rest.  The  basal  diameters  of  the  mound,  whose  sides  face  the  cardinal 
points  and  whose  longer  ones  are  parallel  to  the  river,  arc  188  feet  N.  and  S.  and 
125  feet  E.  and  W.  The  summit-plateau  is  1 12  feet  and  50  feet  in  the  same  direc 
tions,  respectively.  The  mound  has  been  under  cultivation. 

As  is  well  known,  large,  flat-topped  mounds  in  southern  United  States  very 
rarely  contain  objects  of  interest,  having  served,  as  a  rule,  for  purposes  other  than 
those  of  burial;  yet  as  interments  sometimes  were  made  in  superficial  parts  of 
such  mounds,  it  is  well  for  the  investigator  to  sink  trial-holes  into  them  super 
ficially  at  least.  In  the  mound  under  description  trial-holes  soon  reached  raw 
clay  having  no  trace  of  interments. 

1  There  is  another  place  of  this  name  a  few  miles  above  this  one,  also  in  Humphreys  County. 


ABORIGINAL  SITKS  ON  TKNNKSSKK  RIVER.  201 

At  about  a  depth  of  one  foot,  however,  was  a  fireplace  near  which,  in  a  sym 
metrical  heap  resembling  a  cone  with  rounded  apex,  were  nineteen  masses  of 
soft,  fossiliferous  limestone,  more  or  less  rounded  and  ranging-  in  size  between  a 
clenched  hand  to  double  that  bulk.  These  masses,  presumably  intended  as 
supports  for  vessels  while  cooking  was  in  progress,  had  most  likely  been  carefully 
piled  near  the  fireplace  for  convenience,  and  for  some  reason  had  not  been  removed 
when  the  fireplace  was  abandoned. 

To  the  east  of  the  mound,  on  the  level  field,  was  considerable  midden  debris, 
including  bits  of  flint  and  of  pottery.  At  one  place  where  fragments  of  human 
bone  lay  on  the  surface,  trial-holes  were  put  down  which  almost  at  once  reached 
human  remains,  as  follows:  a  skeleton  disturbed  by  cultivation;  an  extended 
skeleton,  the  head  directed  S.  by  W. ;  a  layer  of  bones,  including  three  crania; 
an  extended  skeleton  heading  S.;  the  bones  of  an  adolescent,  lying  partly  flexed 
on  the  left  side,  the  head  directed  SSW.;  a  skeleton  at  full  length,  the  cranium 
pointing  N.  by  W.  The  skull  and  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax  of  this  skeleton 
lay  beneath  the  margin  of  a  fireplace  and  were  calcined.  The  use  of  fire  in  con 
nection  with  this  burial  perhaps  was  accidental.  Parallel  with  this  skeleton 
were  two  others,  from  each  of  which  the  skull  and  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax 
were  missing.  On  the  pelvis  of  one  of  these  skeletons  lay  a  skull. 

Near  the  three  burials  last  described  was  another,  that  of  an  adult,  lying  under 
the  fireplace  to  which  reference  has  been  made.  This  burial,  which  had  been 
wholly  beneath  the  fireplace,  was  in  anatomical  order  up  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
thorax,  the  upper  part  of  which,  along  with  the  skull,  was  missing  and  apparently 
had  been  disturbed  through  digging,  aboriginal  or  otherwise,  as  the  fireplace  at 
this  point  was  broken  through  and  parts  of  it,  along  with  ashes,  were  mingled 
with  the  soil. 

Two  feet  six  inches  deep  was  another  fireplace  at  some  distance  from  the  one 
described,  which  had  been  burnt  so  hard  that  when  found  with  the  aid  of  a'steel 
rod  it  was  taken  for  a  rock  or  a  slab  forming  part  of  a  stone  grave.  About  one 
foot  above  part  of  this  fireplace  were  a  number  of  scattered  human  bones  showing 
no  trace  of  fire,  while  at  about  the  same  level  and  over  another  part  of  it  was  the 
upper  half  of  a  skeleton  on  which  no  sign  of  fire  was  apparent. 

In  this  field  was  the  remnant  of  a  small,  low  mound  which  yielded  no  return 
to  trial-holes. 

Farther  north,  in  sight  from  the  large  mound,  paralleling  the  river  which  it 
commands  to  the  N.,  S.  and  W.,  is  an  elevation  in  the  form  of  a  ridge.  The 
northern  end  slopes  somewhat  abruptly;  the  descent  on  the  southern  extremity, 
steep  at  first,  reaches  a  small  rise  or  hump  from  which  the  slope  is  gradual.  The 
measurements  of  this  elevation  are  as  follows:  height  of  ridge,  which  runs  X. 
by  K.  and  S.  by  \V.,  taken  from  the  northern  end,  12  feet  9  inches;  length  of 
base,  170  feet;  length  of  top,  northern  slope,  32  feet;  crest,  88  feet;  southern 
slope  to  the  hum]),  having  a  drop  of  6  feet,  22  feet;  the  hump  and  from  it  to  level 
ground,  28  feet.  Width  of  base,  58  feet,  as  follows:  eastern  slope,  24  feet : 
crest,  5  feet;  western  slope,  29  feet. 

10  JOl'HX.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


202 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


An  excavation  12  feet  by  20  feet  was  sunk  by  us  about  midway  of  the  length 
of  the  mound,  the  longer  axis  of  the  hole  corresponding  to  that  of  the  mound, 
which  proved  to  be  composed  of  a  loamy  clay.  The  base  was  reached  at  a  depth 
of  9  feet  10  inches,  our  outside  measurement  having  been  taken  where  there  had 
been  considerable  wash  on  the  field  and  in  consequence  the  height  of  the  mound 
there  was  greater  than  its  original  height.  On  the  opposite,  or  western  side,  the 
apparent  height  was  even  greater,  as  one  there  would  be  looking  up  a  slope. 
Burials  were  found  as  follows: 

Burial  No.  1,  at  a  depth  of  6.5  feet,  disconnected  bones  having  belonged  to  one 
individual,  a  heel-bone  below  the  skull,  the  lower  jaw  away  from  the  calvariurn, 

the  long-bones  out  of  place.  These  bones,  in 
common  with  all  from  this  mound,  were  much 
decayed. 

Burial  No.  2,  7.5  feet  down,  disarranged 
bones  including  two  skulls,  not  piled  as  in  a 
bunched  burial  but  spread.  A  layer  of  clay  of 
a  much  purer  grade  than  the  material  of  which 
the  mound  was  made,  lay  under  Burial  No.  1, 
and  in  part  over  Burial  No.  2,  which  also  had 
clay  under  it.  Layers  of  this  kind  were  found 
elsewhere  in  the  mound  apart  from  bones,  which 
probably  had  decayed  away. 

Burial  No.  3,  8  feet  6  inches  deep,  disarranged 
bones  belonging  to  one  skeleton. 

Burial  No.  4,  at  about  the  same  depth  as 
Burial  No.  3,  consisted  of  mingled  bones  having 
belonged  to  one  individual. 

Burial  No.  5,  on  the  base  of  the  mound,  rest 
ing  on  charcoal  or  decayed  bark  and  wood,  was 
a   scattered   deposit  of   mingled  bones  covering 
considerable  space,  having  belonged  to  at  least 
seventeen   individuals,   that  number  of   skulls 
being  represented.     This  burial  did  not  lie  in  a 
grave,  apparently,  or  if  in  one,  its  depth  must 
have  been  inconsiderable,  as  undisturbed  local 
layers  lay  above  the  burial  to  a  considerable  distance  in  the  mound. 
Burial  No.  6,  on  the  base,  part  of  a  child's  tibia. 

Burial  No.  7,  seven  inches  above  the  base,  scattered  bones  belonging  to  one 
skeleton. 

The  entire  base  of  the  excavation  was  carefully  spaded  through  in  the  hope  of 
coming  upon  a  grave-pit  or  a  ceremonial  deposit,  but  without  success. 

A  few  feet  from  the  side  of  the  northeastern  end  of  the  mound  was  a  slight 
rise  above  the  level  at  that  place,  about  24  feet  in  diameter,  showing  up  red  in  the 


FIG.   11. — Plan  showing  placement 
of  slabs.     Dixie  Lauding,  Tenn. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  203 

plowed  field  and  proving  to  be  made  up  of  particles  and  masses  of  clay,  reddened 
by  heat,  some  of  the  masses  bearing  imprints  of  wattle. 

Investigation  showed  this  reddened  clay  to  have  a  maximum  thickness  of 
about  2  feet.  Beneath  it  was  an  arrangement  of  thin  slabs  of  limestone,  of  clay- 
stone,  of  fine-grained  sandstone,  some  calcined,  others  flaked  by  the  effect  of 
heat,  lying  in  one  thickness  as  a  rule,  but  occasionally  in  double  and  in  triple 
layers.  These  slabs  were  not  arranged  with  a  view  to  an  exact  level,  a  few  even 
having  been  placed  on  edge.  The  arrangement,  of  very  irregular  outline,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  11,  was  about  22  feet  long  and  12  feet  in  maximum  width,  approxi 
mately. 

The  slabs  rested  on  a  smooth,  hard  surface  of  baked  clay  resembling  a  floor, 
on  which  was  no  charcoal  or  deposit  of  ashes. 

All  these  slabs,  of  course,  were  removed  by  hand  with  great  care,  but  nothing 
was  found  between  them  and  the  hardened  clay  beneath  (under  which  digging 
came  upon  undisturbed  soil),  except  at  one  place  near  the  northern  end  of  the 
arrangement  of  slabs  where  were  found  a  few  fragments  of  calcined  bones,  some 
undoubtedly  human,  the  remainder  too  small  to  identify  but  presumably  also 
parts  of  a  general  cremation.  Near  this  place,  but  above  the  slabs,  also  were 
found  a  few  fragments  of  calcined  bones. 

Presumably  the  aborigines,  in  connection  with  this  cremation,  had  proceeded 
in  the  following  way:  Human  remains  were  placed  on  the  ground,  which  seem 
ingly  had  been  either  purposely  smoothed  in  advance  or,  which  is  more  likely, 
was  the  trampled,  earthen  floor  of  a  wigwam,  and  the  arrangement  of  slabs  laid 
upon  them. 

Next  a  wigwam  standing  over  the  remains  or  near  them,  was  burnt  down  and 
the  clay  from  its  wattle  and  daub  walls,  while  still  at  high  temperature,  was  piled 
over  the  slabs  and  the  bones  beneath,  the  intense  heat  calcining  and  flaking  some 
of  the  slabs  and  consuming  most  of  the  human  remains. 

The  clay  from  the  walls  of  the  building  must  have  been  intentionally  piled 
over  the  remains,  and  not  simply  have  been  allowed  to  lie  where  it  fell,  inasmuch 
as  the  wattle  and  daub  walls  of  wigwams  were  not  more  than  3  or  4  feet  in  height, 
and  from  them  a  roof  of  material  unmixed  with  clay  sloped  upward.  Hence 
some  labor  was  required  to  bring  the  heated  clay  from  where  it  fell  at  the  outer 
part  of  the  fire  and  to  arrange  it  so  as  to  make  the  highest  part  of  the  deposit  in 
the  center  of  the  rise  as  it  was  found  by  us. 

In  connection  with  this  striking  ceremony  the  description  of  the  Bennett 
mound  in  this  report  will  prove  of  especial  interest. 

In  the  field,  near  the  great  ridge,  was  a  low  elevation  from  which  a  stone  grave 
had  been  plowed  shortly  before  our  coming,  the  slabs  and  fragments  of  human 
bone  lying  on  the  surface  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  Digging  at  this  point  came 
upon  no  other  stone  grave  or  burial  of  any  kind. 

All  burials  found  at  this  place  were  without  artifact  of  any  kind,  yet  it  was  in 
the  same  county  (Humphreys),  where  this  site  is,  on  Duck  river,  probably  not 


204  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER, 

more  than  ten  miles  away,  that  the  superb  deposit  of  flint  implements  now  in 
possession  of  the  Missouri  Historical  Society,  to  which  we  have  already  alluded  in 
the  introductory  remarks,  was  found. 

DWELLING-SITE  AT  PREVATT'S  LANDING  BENTON  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

At  Prevatt's  Landing,  the  property  of  Mr.  H.  E.  Whitfield,  living  nearby,  is 
a  ridge  in  a  cultivated  field  bordering  the  river  bank,  composed  of  rich,  dark, 
loamy  sand  and  having  on  the  surface  fragments  of  pottery,  cord-marked  when 
bearing  any  decoration,  and  some  flint,  including  a  few  arrowheads.  Other 
arrowheads  of  flint  were  encountered  in  the  digging,  as  were  several  piercing  imple 
ments  of  bone,  wasters  of  flint,  a  sphere  of  silicious  material  pecked  into  shape, 
slightly  oblate  on  one  side,  having  a  diameter  of  3  inches.  Here  and  there  in  the 
soil,  as  well  as  on  the  surface,  were  fragments  of  fresh-water  shells. 

Eighteen  burials,  fourteen  of  adults,  four  of  infants  or  of  older  children,  were 
unearthed,  none  deeper  than  about  3  feet,  some  in  the  dark  sand  of  which  the 
dwelling-site  was  composed,  others  on  the  underlying,  yellow,  undisturbed  sand, 
and  a  few  let  down  into  it  a  short  distance. 

The  adult  skeletons,  the  crania  of  which  were  found  without  uniformity  of 
direction,  had  been  buried  as  follows: 

Partly  flexed  on  the  right 4 

Partly  flexed  on  the  left 1 

Closely  flexed  on  the  right 1 

Closely  flexed  on  the  left 3 

Disturbance 1 

Burial  No.  1  lay  on  the  right  side,  the  right  leg  closely  flexed  while  the  left  leg 
was  only  partly  so. 

Burial  No.  4,  a  skeleton  rather  closely  flexed  on  the  right  side  in  a  semi- 
reclining  position  against  the  sloping  wall  of  the  grave-pit,  the  skull  being  22 
inches  from  the  surface,  while  the  pelvis  and  lower  extremities  were  at  a  depth 
of  40  inches.  The  right  humerus  lay  along  the  body,  having  the  forearm  flexed 
to  the  right  shoulder.  The  left  humerus  was  also  parallel  to  the  body,  but  the 
forearm  was  across  the  trunk.  The  legs  were  closely  flexed  on  the  thighs. 

Burials  Nos.  13  and  16,  skeletons  each  having  the  trunk  on  the  back,  the  thighs 
flexed  vertically,  the  legs  back  against  them.  Along  the  outer  side  of  the  right 
humerus  of  Burial  No.  16  were  the  bones  of  an  infant,  the  head  being  in  the  oppo 
site  direction  from  that  of  the  adult  skeleton. 

Four  skulls,  some  in  poor  condition,  were  saved  from  this  place. 

Although  the  site  at  Prevatt's  Landing  is  but  two  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
Duck  river,  along  whose  banks  such  interesting  discoveries  of  artifacts  have  been 
reported,  not  a  single  object  can  positively  be  said  to  have  been  found  by  us 
with  any  burial  in  the  Prevatt's  Landing  site.  About  15  inches  from  a  skeleton, 
and  at  a  somewhat  higher  level,  were  two  rude,  chipped  implements  of  flint — small 
hoes  or  hatchets — each  about  6  inches  in  length,  placed  upright,  together. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  205 

About  one  foot  above  and  beyond  the  feet  of  Burial  No.  13,  together,  were 
fourteen  flakes  of  flint,  the  largest  3  by  2.5  inches,  the  smallest  1.25  inch  by  .75 
inch.  Both  this  deposit  and  the  one  last  mentioned  may  well  have  been  in  the 
midden  debris,  having  no  connection  with  the  burials. 

MOUND  NEAR  WEST  SHIPP'S  LANDING,  BENTON  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

About  one-half  mile  above  West  Shipp's  Landing,  within  a  few  feet  from  the 
river  bank,  on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  H.  D.  Odle,  of  Camden,  Term.,  is  a 
mound  quadrangular  with  rounded  corners,  having  a  flat  summit-plateau.  The 
basal  diameters  arc  107  feet  and  74  feet.  The  height  as  measured  by  us  was  6.5 
feet,  but  as  the  surrounding  field  is  of  loamy  sand  (as  is  most  of  the  mound)  and 
has  been  subject  to  much  wash,  it  was  impossible  to  determine  what  the  original 
level  of  the  ground  had  been.  Neither  sounding-rod  nor  trial-holes  led  to  the 
discovery  of  any  interment  in  this  mound. 

DWELLING-SITE  AT  LEADBETTER  LANDING,  BENTON  Co.,  TENNESSEE. 

At  Leadbetter  Landing,  on  property  of  the  Aver  and  Lord  Tie  Co.,  Chicago, 
111.,  of  which  Mr.  J.  B.  Lord  is  president,  is  a  dwelling-site  of  inconsiderable  size, 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  the  higher  part  of  which  is  covered  by  a  large  store 
house.  At  the  time  of  the  building  of  this  structure  skeletal  remains  were  dis 
interred,  the  discovery  creating  considerable  local  excitement. 

Extensive  digging  was  done  in  the  earthen  floor  of  the  building,  in  ground 
just  adjoining  it  on  the  outside,  and  in  a  continuation  of  the  site  in  a  cultivated 
field  nearby,  though  there,  apparently,  burials  were  widely  apart. 

In  all,  eleven  skeletons  were  encountered,  seven  of  adults,  four  of  infants  or 
of  older  children. 

Of  the  adults,  one  was  extended  on  the  back;  two  were  closely  flexed  on  the 
right;  one,  closely  flexed  on  the  left;  one,  partly  flexed  to  the  right;  one,  partly 
flexed  on  the  left.  One  had  been  disturbed  in  aboriginal  times.  There  had  been 
no  attempt  at  orientation  of  burials  at  this  place.  Five  crania  were  preserved, 
though  some  were  considerably  crushed. 

With  the  skeleton  of  a  child  were  151  beads  of  shell,  some  discoidal,  some 
almost  globular,  the  largest  having  a  diameter  of  .65  inch.  A  skeleton  at  full 
length  on  the  back  had  at  the  neck  beads  made  from  the  ocean  shell  Maryinclla. 

Alongside  this  skeleton,  beginning  at  the  pelvis  and  continuing  down,  the 
head  directed  in  the  same  way  as  that  of  the  burial  near  which  it  was,  lay  the 
skeleton  of  a  child  at  whose  neck  were  beads,  some  of  shell,  small  and  of  the  ordi 
nary  kind,  others  made  from  Marginella. 

MOUNDS  OPPOSITE  THE  MOUTH  OF  CEDAR  CREEK,  DECATUR  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

Landing  opposite  the  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek  (which  is  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  and  in  another  county)  and  proceeding  about  one-half  mile  westwardly  to 
the  first  high  ground,  one  reaches,  on  property  of  Mr.  T.  S.  Hassell,  of  Clifton, 


206  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Term.,  three  mounds,  all  near  together.  Two  of  the  mounds  are  each  about  6 
feet  in  height  and  40  feet  across  the  base.  The  third  mound  is  about  2  feet  high 
and  25  feet  in  diameter.  These  mounds,  which  were  visited  by  us,  had  unfortu 
nately  been  dug  to  such  an  extent  before  our  visit  that  further  investigation 
of  them  was  considered  useless. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  MOUTH  OF  BEECH  CREEK,  WAYNE  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

In  sight  from  the  union  of  Beech  Creek  with  the  Tennessee,  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  creek,  on  property  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Richardson,  who  resides  there,  is  a 
former  aboriginal  dwelling-site,  the  surface  of  which  is  thickly  strewn  with  midden 
debris,  from  which  we  selected  two  pestles,  several  rude  hoes  of  limestone,  many 
cutting  implements  of  chipped  flint,  most  of  them  rudely  made,  some  arrowheads 
and  knives  of  flint. 

Fragments  of  human  bones  lay  on  many  parts  of  the  field,  and  we  were  told 
that  bones  and  artifacts  had  been  plowed  up  there  for  more  than  thirty  years— 
and  probably  for  a  still  longer  period,  as  the  place  had  been  under  cultivation  for 
a  long  time  before  our  informant's  experience  of  it  began. 

Slabs  of  stone  lying  here  and  there  indicated  the  former  presence  of  stone 
graves,  but  as  the  soil  at  this  place  was  too  tenacious  to  permit  the  use  of  rods  to 
advantage,  we  were  compelled  to  rely  on  trial-holes  to  discover  burials  of  any 
kind.  The  following  burials  were  encountered. 

Burial  No.  1  consisted  of  bones  thrown  irregularly  together  and  may  have 
been  a  disturbance,  aboriginal  or  otherwise.  It  lay  on  yellow,  undisturbed  clay 
in  the  rich,  dark,  loamy  clay  of  the  field.  With  the  bones  were  a  few  small, 
discoidal,  shell  beads  in  bad  condition. 

Burial  No.  2,  just  below  the  surface,  was  a  stone  grave  from  which  the  plow 
had  taken  practically  all  of  the  upper  part  of  one  end  and  some  of  one  side. 
Within  the  grave,  which  apparently  had  been  found  and  rifled  in  the  past,  were 
slabs,  and  fragments  of  human  bones.  At  one  corner,  beneath  a  slab  that  still 
remained  in  place,  were  parts  of  a  tibia  and  a  fibula,  and  foot-bones  all  in  place. 
The  burial  evidently  had  been  that  of  an  adult,  the  head  W.  by  S.  Apparently 
there  had  been  no  flooring  of  slabs  for  this  grave. 

Burial  No.  3,  lying  on  undisturbed  yellow  clay,  18  inches  down,  was  a  skeleton 
closely  flexed  on  the  left  side,  the  head  directed  SE.  by  S. 

Burial  No.  4,  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  N.,  lying  in  a 
grave1  which  extended  14  inches  into  the  undisturbed  yellow  subsoil.  The  dark 
loam  of  the  field  was  8  inches  deep  at  this  place,  making  the  total  depth  of  the 
burial  22  inches.  This  skeleton  in  part  rested  on  the  pelvis  of  Burial  No.  5. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  the  head  directed  SSW.  The 
left  arm  was  flexed,  with  the  hand  resting  on  the  left  shoulder.  This  burial, 
which  was  2  feet  deep,  had  a  flint  point,  probably  a  lancehead,  resting  on  the  left 
thigh. 

1  When  stone  graves  are  under  description  the  fact  will  be  distinctly  specified. 


ABORIGINAL  RITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  207 

Burial  No.  6,  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  lying  on  the  yellow  clay  which 
was  but  6  inches  deep  at  this  place.  The  skull,  if  present,  would  have  been 
directed  S.  by  W.,  but  a  post  or  a  tree,  as  indicated  by  a  round  hole  which  ex 
tended  considerably  deeper  than  the  grave,  had  destroyed  the  head. 

Burial  No.  7,  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  just  under  the  surface,  had  in  line  beside 
it  seven  earthenware  vessels,  as  follows:  over  part  of  the  skull  and  covering  an 
upright  bowl  and  a  pot  was  an  inverted  bowl.  In  contact  with  this  bowl,  on  tin- 
body  of  the  child,  was  an  inverted  bowl  having  two  small  bowls,  also  inverted, 
side  by  side  against  it.  In  this  bowl  was  a  musselshell,  somewhat  broken,  which 
no  doubt  had  been  used  as  a  spoon.  Over  the  pelvis  of  the  skeleton  had  been 
placed  an  inverted  bowl. 

All  this  earthenware  was  shell-tempered  and  without  line  or  painted  decoration. 
Two  of  the  vessels  (all  seven  dropped  to  fragments  on  removal)  had  knobs  below 
the  rims,  while  one  had  a  small  extension,  probably  meant  to  represent  the  beak 
in  a  rude  shell-form.  Between  two  of  the  vessels,  upright,  was  a  small,  slender 
celt  of  indurated  shale. 

Burial  No.  8.  This  skeleton  had  been  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head 
pointing  NE.,  but  had  been  badly  disarranged  by  Burials  Nos.  4  and  5. 

Burial  No.  9.  Just  beneath  the  surface,  and  somewhat  disturbed  by  t  lie- 
plow,  was  a  tiny  stone  grave  let  down  into  the  undisturbed  yellow  clay.  The 
top  of  the  grave  had  been  plowed  away.  This  grave,  not  oblong,  but  with 
decidedly  rounded  corners,  was  constructed  with  the  aid  of  eight  slabs,  some 
triangular,  and  placed  with  pointed  ends  downward.  The  floor  consisted  of  three 
slabs,  one  comparatively  small,  used  to  fill  an  intervening  space.  The  outside1 
measurement  of  the  grave  was  21  inches  by  14  inches;  the  inside  measurement, 
17.5  inches  by  10.5  inches.  Within  the  grave  were  a  few  decaying  bones  of  an 
infant,  with  which  were  a  considerable  number  of  small,  barrel-shaped  beads  of 
shell. 

Burials  Nos.  10  and  11  were  skeletons  of  children,  one  considerably  disturbed 
by  the  interment  of  the  other.  Near  one  skull  were  ten  barrel-shaped  shell  beads, 
each  almost  one  inch  in  length. 

All  the  burials  described  here  were  near  together,  though  it  is  of  course 
impossible  to  determine  if  the  stone-grave  burials  were  made  at  the  same  period 
as  were  those  that  were  unenclosed. 

MOUND  NEAR  OLD  FURNACE  LANDING,  DECATUR  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

At  Old  Furnace  Landing  is  a  property  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  A.  Hassell,  of 
Clifton,  Term.  A  barn  and  other  buildings  are  upon  a  low  mound  within  sight 
from  the  landing.  This  mound,  which  is  now  about  2  feet  high  and  95  feet  in 
diameter,  approximately,  has  been  trodden  and  trampled  to  such  an  extent  by 
mules  and  horses  that  it  is  hard  to  say  what  its  original  dimensions  were-.  \Ye 
were  unable  to  find  any  part  of  this  mound  where  digging  would  not  have  been 
a  decided  injury  to  it. 


208  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

MOUNDS  ON  SWALLOW  BLUFF  ISLAND,  DECATUR  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

On  Swallow  Bluff  Island,  owned  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Dickey,  of  Saltillo,  Tenn.,  near 
the  upper  end  (where  principal  mounds  usually  are  found  on  islands  in  Tennessee 
river),  are  two  mounds  about  150  yards  apart,  visible  from  the  bank.  These 
mounds,  we  were  informed  by  Mr.  Dickey,  had  never  been  under  cultivation  and 
but  very  recently  had  been  cleared  from  a  thick  growth  of  cane.  Their  appear 
ance  also  showed  no  sign  of  the  plow. 

The  northernmore  mound,  the  one  nearer  the  water,  is  18  feet  in  height, 
measured  from  what  seemed  to  be  the  general  level,  though,  taken  from  other 
points  where  wash  has  occurred,  or  near  slopes,  the  height  would  be  considerably 
greater.  The  sides  are  somewhat  irregular,  there  being  at  the  present  time  a 
small  extension  from  the  northern  corner,  which,  however,  is  not  a  graded  way, 
the  slope  from  the  extension  being  as  steep  as  from  the  rest  of  the  mound.  The 
mound,  however,  is  practically  square,  with  a  basal  diameter  of  130  feet,  and  its 
flat  top  measuring  slightly  more  than  50  feet  across.  The  sides  do  not  all  face 
the  cardinal  points,  nor  are  its  corners  directed  toward  them. 

The  upper  part  of  this  mound  consisted  of  homogeneous,  loamy  clay  in  which 
the  limits  of  graves  could  not  be  defined.  Numerous  trial-holes  were  sunk  and 
the  sounding-rod  was  freely  used  in  the  summit-plateau,  resulting  in  the  discovery 
of  twenty  burials  which  will  be  described  in  detail. 

Burial  No.  1.  Together,  were  the  pelves,  thighs,  and  legs  (the  extremities 
being  flexed)  of  two  skeletons,  the  upper  parts  missing  through  some  cause  we 
could  not  determine,  no  grave  having  been  discovered  below  them. 

Burial  No.  2,  3  feet  8  inches  down,  was  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  having  near  the 
head  a  bottle  of  yellow,  shell-tempered  ware,  without  decoration.  At  the  opposite 
side  of  the  skull  were  a  rude  discoidal  of  limestone,  and  a  flint  chisel  3.25  inches 
in  length  by  1  inch  in  width,  having  a  ground  cutting  edge  at  each  end.  This  is 
the  first  chipped  flint  implement  with  a  ground  edge  met  with  us  by  on  the  Ten 
nessee  river.  With  the  chisel  was  a  bone  implement  crumbling  to  bits,  and  a 
small  hone  of  sandstone. 

Burials  Nos.  3  and  4.  Two  feet  from  the  surface  was  what  seemed  to  be  a 
single  stone  box-grave,  6  feet  3  inches  in  length  and  2  feet  6  inches  wide.  The 
sides  of  this  grave  were  vertical,  and  the  covering  slabs,  which  were  of  limestone, 
as  were  all  the  slabs  found  on  this  island,  lay  squarely  upon  them.  Resting  on 
an  upper  slab  at  one  end  was  a  rude  pot,  and  at  what  appeared  to  be  near  the 
middle  of  the  grave  had  been  placed  a  short-necked,  undecorated  bottle. 

On  the  removal  of  the  covering  slabs,  what  seemed  a  single  grave  proved  to 
be  two  graves  with  separate  ends,  a  slab  placed  above  the  adjacent  extremities 
having  covered  them.  The  two  graves  proved  to  be  not  exactly  in  line,  that  of 
Burial  No.  3  being  ESE.  to  WNW.,  while  the  other  was  E.  and  W. 

Burial  No.  3,  the  bones  of  a  child,  badly  disarranged,  with  the  skull  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  grave  and  immediately  under  the  vessel  to  which  reference  has 


ABORKIINAL  SITES  OX  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  209 

been  made,  lay  in  a  grave  the  inside  measurements  of  which  were  2  feet  7  inches 
and  1  foot  (>  inches,  the  depth  being  10  inches.  Neither  in  this  grave  nor  in  any 
found  on  this  island  was  there  a  flooring  of  slabs.  The  symmetrical  appearance 
of  this  grave,  which  differed  so  much  from  those  found  in  the  smaller  mound  at 
this  place,  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  lower  parts  of  the  supporting  slabs  had 
been  imbedded  about  5  inches  beneath  the  level  of  the  base  of  the  grave,  thus 
enabling  them  to  remain  vertical. 

Burial  No.  4  lay  with  the  head  directed  toward  the  west,  the  feet  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Burial  No.  3.  The  grave,  inside  measurement,  was  3  feet  by  22  inches; 
its  depth,  13  inches.  These  quarters  were  so  restricted  that  the  skeleton,  that  of 
a  fair-sized  adult,  had  been  accommodated  with  difficulty.  Squarely  across  the 
foot  of  the  grave,  extending  to  the  right,  were  the  thighs  with  the  legs  drawn  up 
against  them,  at  right  angles  to  the  trunk  which  lay  upon  (he  back;  the  skull, 
which  was  saved,  had  been  forced  forward  and  turned  so  that  the  right  sick1  rested 
on  the  thorax. 

At  the  right  shoulder  was  a  small,  undecorated  pot  having  two  loop  handles. 
The  vessel  already  referred  to  as  deposited  on  what  seemed  to  be  midway  of  the 
single  grave,  in  reality  rested  over  the  feet  of  this  burial. 

Burial  No.  o,  a  stone  grave  the  top  of  which  was  2  feet  6  inches  from  the  surface 
of  the  mound.  Although  the  slabs  had  been  carefully  placed  to  a  depth  of  some 
inches  beneath  the  base  of  the  grave,  they  diverged  somewhat  toward  the  top  of 
the  grave,  though  the  consequent  outward  slant  had  not  been  sufficient  to  cause 
the  covering  slabs  to  fall  or  to  lose  their  horizontal  position.  The  outside  meas 
urement  of  the  grave  was  4  feet  o  inches  by  2  feet  10  inches.  The  top  of  the 
grave  was  made  up  of  a  double  layer  of  slabs,  the  upper  ones  being  comparatively 
small,  while  but  five  had  been  used  for  the  lower  layer,  three  of  which  were 
unimportant  and  used  to  cover  spaces  left  by  two  large  slabs,  the  larger  of  which 
was  2  feet  6  inches  by  1  foot  10  inches,  and  2  inches  thick.  One  entire  side  of 
the  grave  was  but  a  single  slab,  while  the  other  was  a  large  slab  with  a  small  one 
used  to  fill  a  remaining  space.  The  slabs  at  the  ends  were  single1.  The  inside 
measurements  of  the  grave  were:  length,  4  feet;  width,  2  feet;  depth,  13  inches. 

On  the  floor,  which  was  of  earth,  was  the  skeleton  of  an  adult,  closely  flexed  to 
the  right,  the  head  SE. 

Burial  No.  G,  an  unenclosed  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the  left ,  the  head  N. 

Burial  No.  7  was  a  stone  grave,  its  top  nearly  2  feet  below  the  surface.  ( )ut- 
side  measurements  were  4  feet  2  inches  by  2  feet  10  inches.  The  flat  top  was 
double  in  places  where  small  spaces  had  been  left.  The  sides  and  ends  were  of 
single  thickness  and  their  bases  extended  well  into  the  ground,  hence  the  covering 
slabs  were  firmly  supported.  The  inside  measurement  of  this  grave  was  3  feet 
10  inches  by  2  feet  4  inches,  the  depth  being  1  foot  3  inches. 

The  skeleton,  rather  closely  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  S.  by  E.,  had  the 
right  forearm  diagonally  over  the  trunk  and  the  left  forearm  across  it,  the  humeri 
being  parallel  with  the  trunk.  At  the  neck  were  a  few  small,  discoidal  beads  of 

17  JOl'K.V.  A.  X.  S.  PHI  LA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


210 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


shell,  and  at  the  feet  were  several  badly-decayed,  piercing  implements  of  bone, 
close  together. 

Burial  No.  8,  a  stone  box-grave  2.5  feet  from  its  top  to  the  surface,  oblong, 
3  feet  9  inches  by  2  feet  1  inch,  a  single  slab  at  each  side  and  at  each  end,  the  cover 
ing  being  a  double  thickness  of  slabs  in  places,  smaller  ones  having  been  arranged 


FIG.  12.— Burial  No.  8. 
Tenn. 


Stone  box-grave.  3  feet  9  inches  by  2  feet  1  inch.     Swallow  Bluff  Island, 


over  gaps  between  parts  of  the  larger,  under  ones.  In  this  grave  the  covering- 
slabs  presumably  had  been  held  up  in  part  by  supports,  perhaps  of  wood,  and  had 
not  been  placed  squarely  across  the  grave.  Consequently,  when  these  supports 
had  decayed,  some  of  the  covering  slabs  had  fallen  to  a  slanting  position,  as  shown 
in  the  photographic  reproduction  (Fig.  12). 

This  grave,  3  feet  3  inches  long  by  1  foot  8  inches  wide,  inside  measurement, 
contained  a  skeleton,  partly  flexed,  the  trunk  on  the  back,  the  knees  drawn  up 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX  TENNESSEE  1WKU. 


211 


into  the  corner  of  the  grave,  the  left  arm  and  forearm  extended  along  the  body, 
as  was  the  right  upper-arm  whose  related  forearm  crossed  the  trunk.  The  head 
was  directed  XXW.  The  grave  containing  this  skeleton  is  shown  in  Fig.  13,  the 
covering  and  one  side  of  it  having  been  removed. 


FIG.  13. — Burial  Xo.  S,  showing  skeleton,  part  of  the  grave  having  licen  removed.  Swallow  Bluff 
Island,  Tcnn. 

Burial  No.  9,  a  stone  grave  whose  sides  formed  a  rude  pentagon  supporting  a 
covering  consisting  of  one  large  slab  on  which  here  and  there  had  been  placed 
smaller  slabs,  in  some  cases  in  one  thickness  or  again  in  two  thicknesses,  the  whole 
arrangement  having  an  elliptical  outline  (Fig.  14).  This  stone  grave,  '2  feet  I 
inch  in  length  and  1  foot  4  inches  in  maximum  width,  had  a  height  of  1  foot  2 
inches,  excluding  its  lower  parts  which  entered  the  ground.  (It  is  impossible  in 


212 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


the  case  of  stone  graves  exactly  to  determine  the  height,  outside  measurement, 
since  the  depth  to  which  the  various  slabs  penetrate  the  ground  is  irregular  and 
not  determinable  until  the  grave  is  demolished.  In  the  case  of  inside  measure 
ment,  of  course,  one  has  the  floor  from  which  to  determine  the  height.)  Seven 
inches  below  the  top  was  the  skeleton  of  an  infant,  whose  bones,  though  not  well 


FIG.  14.  -Burial  Xo.  9.  Stone  box-grave  of  an  infant.  '2  feet  1  inch  by  1  foot  4  inches,  over  all. 
Swallow  Bluff  Island,  Tenn. 

preserved,  were  in  better  condition  than  one  would  expect  them  to  be,  and  this 
applied  to  all  skeletons  of  infants  and  of  children  found  at  this  place.  Presum 
ably  lime  from  the  slabs  above  them  had  acted  as  a  preservative. 

Burial  No.  10.  The  supporting  slabs  of  this  stone  grave  had  not  been  firmly 
set,  and  having  assumed  an  outward  slant,  had  permitted  the  covering  slabs  to 
fall  into  the  grave,  which  under  these  conditions,  was  5  feet  7  inches  long  by 
2  feet  7  inches  wide,  its  top  being  just  below  the  surface.  This  grave,  which  was 
in  contact  with  Burial  No.  12,  at  right  angles  to  it,  contained  a  skeleton  closely 
flexed  on  the  right,  having  a  fragment  of  a  thick  cooking  pot  of  earthenware, 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  213 

about  the  size  of  a  man's  hand,  as  a  mortuary  tribute.  Presumably,  the  ab 
origines,  who  made  a  deposit  of  this  kind  in  another  instance  at  this  place,  con 
sidered  the  gift  as  at  all  events  better  than  nothing,  an  opinion,  however,  with 
which  the  investigator  of  stone  graves  is  not  likely  to  agree. 


IMC;.  15.  —  Burial  No.  12.     A  stone  box-grave,  3  feet  8  inches  by  2  feet  ">  inches,  over  all.     Swallov 
f  Island.  Tcnn. 


Bluff  Island,  Tcnn 

Burial  No.  11.  This  grave,  1  foot  2  inches  from  the  surface,  was  not  a  box- 
grave,  like  the  rest,  but  a  mere  arrangement  of  slabs  in  one  thickness,  3  feet  \ 
inches  long  by  2  feet  2  inches  wide,  placed  over  the  bones  of  a  child,  which  lay 
4  inches  below. 

Burial  No.  12,  a  few  inches  from  the  surface,  was  a  fine  example  of  the  stone 


214 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


box-grave,  the  sides  and  ends  upright,  the  covering  slabs  resting  squarely  on  them. 
This  grave,  oblong,  3  feet  8  inches  by  2  feet  5  inches,  had  the  sides  and  ends  of 
single  slabs,  except  at  one  point  where  there  were  two  slabs.  Surrounding  the 
grave  small  gaps  had  been  filled  with  slabs  of  inconsiderable  size;  other  unim 
portant  spaces  had  been  left  uncovered.  The  top  was  composed  of  three  large 
slabs  forming  a  single  layer,  the  one  at  the  lower  end  of  the  grave,  however,  having 
another  slab  upon  it,  forming  a  double  layer  at  this  place  (Fig.  15). 


FIG.  16. — Burial  No.  12,  showing  the  skeleton,  part  of  the  grave  having  been  removed. 
Bluff  Island,  Tenn. 


Swallow 


The  inside  measurements  of  this  grave  were  3  feet  3  inches  by  1  foot  8  inches. 
Its  depth  was  1  foot  1  inch.  The  considerable  difference  in  width  between  the 
inside  and  the  outside  measurements  (the  latter  taken  over  all) ,  is  accounted  for 
by  the  projecting  ends  of  the  covering  slabs. 

In  the  grave,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  as  shown  in  Fig.  16,  representing  the 
grave  after  removal  of  certain  slabs,  was  a  skeleton,  the  head  directed  E.  by  N. 

Burial  No.  13,  a  stone  grave,  the  sides  and  ends  forming  an  oblong  and  having 
a  covering  oval  in  outline  made  up  chiefly  of  one  great  slab,  diamond  shaped,  its 
four  corners  resting  on  the  central  parts  of  the  sides  and  the  ends  of  the  grave 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


215 


(which  had  boon  evenly  dressed  to  afford  a  level  support),  leaving  four  corners  of 
the  top  of  the  grave  uncovered.  These  corners,  however,  had  been  carefully 
overlaid  in  double  and  treble  thickness  with  small  slabs  whose  rounded  outlines, 
projecting  over  the  corners  in  places,  formed  the  oval  outline  of  the  entire  cover- 


FKJ.  17. — Burial  No.  13.  Stone  box-grave,  3.5  feet  by  2.5  feet,  over  all.  Swallow  Bluff  Island, 
Term. 

ing,  as  shown  in  Fig.  17.     The  entire  grave,  which  was  2  feet  from  the  surface, 
measured  3.5  feet  by  2.5  feet  over  all. 

On  the  bottom  of  the  grave,  whose  inside  measurements  were  2  feet  8  inches 
by  1  foot  5  inches  and  1  foot  4  inches  deep,  was  a  skeleton  of  a  young  woman,  the 
trunk  on  the  back,  the  knees  closely  flexed  toward  the  left  and  resting  against  the 
side  of  the  grave,  the  bottom  of  which  the  trunk  completely  filled,  as  shown  in  the 


216 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


illustration  (Fig.  18).     The  head,  which  would  have  been  directed  S.,  owing  to 
lack  of  space  had  been  pushed  over  on  the  chest. 

Burial  No.  14,  a  carefully-made  cist,  its  top  3.5  feet  below  the  surface,  4  feet 
by  3  feet  1  inch  in  size.  The  sides  consisted  of  single  slabs,  double  slabs  being  at 
the  head  of  the  grave  while  the  foot  was  made  up  of  one  slab  of  fair  size,  a  small 


FIG.  18. — Burial  No.  13,  showing  skeleton,  some  of  the  slabs  having  been  removed  from  the  grave. 
Swallow  Bluff  Island,  Tenn. 

one  filling  a  space  at  a  corner.  The  covering,  which  was  level,  was  made  up  of 
three  large  slabs,  resting  on  which  were  four  smaller  ones  covering  open  places. 

The  grave,  3.5  feet  by  2.5  feet  and  1  foot  2  inches  deep,  inside  measurement, 
contained  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  directed  S.  The  skull  of 
this  burial  was  saved. 

Burial  No.  15,  unenclosed,  3  feet  9  inches  deep,  closely  flexed  to  the  right,  the 
head  SSE. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  217 

Burial  Xo.  1(5,  unenclosed,  13  inches  below  the  surface,  partly  flexed  to  the 
right,  the  head  SSE.  At  the  left  of  the  skull  was  a  pot  having  two  loop  handles, 
and  at  the  right  another  with  loop  handles  and  an  encircling  row  of  knobs  around 
the  body.  At  the  right  shoulder  was  the  shell  of  a  tortoise  or  of  a  turtle,  with 
which  no  pebbles  were  found.  At  the  outer  side  of  the  right  humerus  was  a 
vessel  having  two  loop  handles  and  a  rude,  incised  decoration.  All  these  vessels 
were  small,  more  fitted  for  interment  with  a  child  than  with  an  adult,  and  were 
of  the  most  inferior  quality  of  ware. 

Burial  No.  17,  two  feet  four  inches  down,  the  bones  of  a  young  child,  un 
enclosed. 

Burial  No.  18,  a  stone  grave  slightly  more  than  3  feet  in  length  and  16  inches 
in  width,  about  .5  foot  below  the  surface,  the  sides  and  ends  composed  of  upright 
slabs  in  single  thickness,  a  space  10  inches  in  width  unfilled  at  one  side.  The  top, 
perfectly  flat,  was  made  up  of  two  slabs  and  a  fragment  to  cover  the  space  where 
they  failed  to  meet.  There  was  a  small  opening,  however,  uncovered  at  one 
corner. 

This  grave,  interiorly  34  inches  by  13  inches  and  9  inches  deep,  was  irregularly 
oblong,  being  somewhat  wider  at  the  foot  than  at  the  opposite  end,  owing  to  the 
greater  size  of  a  covering  slab.  It  contained  an  infant's  skeleton,  the  head  S.  by 
E. 

Burial  No.  19,  a  few  feet  from  Burial  No.  18  and  at  the  same  depth,  but  at  a 
right  angle  to  it,  was  a  grave  28  inches  by  20  inches.  This  grave  was  not  a  com 
plete  enclosure,  spaces  being  at  one  of  the  sides,  though  the  top  was  almost 
entirely  covered.  At  the  bottom  of  the  grave,  whose  inside  measurements  were 
2  feet  by  17  inches  by  1  foot  in  depth,  were  the  bones  of  an  infant,  the  head 
directed  E. 

Burial  Xo.  20,  a  grave  having  the  sides  pentagonal,  the  top  roughly  oval, 
made  up  of  two  slabs  having  upon  them  three  small  ones  covering  spaces.  This 
grave,  23  inches  by  17  inches,  is  shown  in  Fig.  19. 

The  inside  measurements  of  this  little  stone  grave  were:  length,  18  inches; 
width,  13  inches;  depth,  9  inches.  Within  it  lay  the  skeleton  of  an  infant  which, 
notwithstanding  its  diminutive  size,  had  the  legs  flexed,  a  necessity  imposed  by 
the  restricted  quarters.  One  end  of  the  grave,  not  as  wide  as  the  opposite  end, 
was  formed  of  two  slabs  meeting  at  an  angle  and  contained  the  lower  part  of  the 
skeleton. 

A  curious  feature  connected  with  this  mound,  which  was  plainly  a  domiciliary 
one,  having  burials  in  its  summit-plateau  (which,  as  we  know,  is  sometimes  the 
case  with  this  class  of  mounds) ,  was  that  no  burials  were  encountered  in  the  cen 
tral  part  of  the  plateau,  all  being  marginal,  and  especially  numerous  at  the  four 
corners.  Did  we  not  know  the  aborigines  sometimes  buried  under  their  dwell 
ings,  we  might  feel  assured  the  center  of  the  plateau  had  been  the  site  of  a  wig 
wam  and  that  burials  had  been  made  round  it,  and  such,  in  this  particular 
instance,  may  have  been  the  case. 

IS   JOUKN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,   VOL.  XVI. 


218 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


The  smaller  mound  on  Swallow  Bluff  Island,  measured  from  the  northern  side 
on  the  general  level  of  the  field,  is  9  feet  6  inches  in  height.  It  is  about  square, 
with  a  diameter  of  90  feet;  the  summit-plateau  is  about  30  feet  across.  The 
sides  and  corners  of  the  mound  exhibit  no  orientation  evidencing  a  purpose. 


FIG.  19.— Burial  No.  20. 
Bluff  Island,  Tenn. 


Stone  box-grave  of  an  infant,  23  inches  by  17  inches,  over  all.     Swallow 


As  the  soil  of  the  summit-plateau  did  not  lend  itself  to  the  use  of  the  sounding- 
rod,  recourse  was  had  to  trial-holes,  which  were  put  down  throughout  almost  all 
the  available  space  on  the  plateau.  At  a  depth  of  somewhat  more  than  4  feet 
through  dark  clay  with  some  admixture  of  loam,  hard  yellow  material  was  reached 
which  was  not  indicative  of  the  presence  of  graves. 

The  following  burials  were  encountered  in  the  dark  layer  above  the  yellow. 

Burial  No.  1.  Sixteen  inches  from  the  surface  was  a  symmetrical,  elliptical 
fireplace  14  inches  by  16  inches  and  about  5  inches  deep,  having  the  sides,  which 
were  not  sloping,  but  vertical,  burnt  red,  and  the  base  hardened  by  fire  but  con 
taining  no  ashes  or  charcoal. 

Near  this  fireplace,  but  perhaps  having  no  connection  with  it,  was  a  stone 
grave  consisting  of  limestone  slabs  arranged  in  a  single  thickness  on  another 
fireplace,  the  hardened  clay  of  which  served  as  a  floor  for  the  grave,  but  as  the 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  219 

grave  cut  through  still  another  fireplace,  it  is  possible  that  the  position  of  this 
one  may  have  been  accidental  and  that  all  these  fireplaces  belonged  to  the  dark 
midden  layer  and  not  to  the  graves. 

The  slabs  of  this  grave  were  not  let  into  the  soil  below  the  level  of  the  floor, 
but  seemed  to  have1  been  simply  placed  on  edge  on  the  floor  of  the  excavation  and 
apparently  had  bulged  out  after  the  completion  of  the  grave.  At  all  events  four 
slabs  covering  the  grave,  a  large  one  and  three  small  ones,  had  fallen  in  between 
the  slabs  constituting  the  sides.  The  upper  margin  of  the  side  slabs,  moreover, 
was  very  irregular  and  could  have  afforded  but  little  support  to  the  covering 
slabs. 

The  grave,  outside  measurement,  was  4  feet  in  length  and  about  2  feet  wide 
at  the  central  part.  Its  depth,  estimated  from  the  top  of  the  side  slabs,  was  1 
foot  5  inches.  It  was  not  oblong,  but  converging  and  rounded  at  the  end  where 
the  skull  rested. 

On  the  fireplace  which  served  as  a  floor,  was  the  skeleton  of  an  adult,  the  head 
directed  E.  The  trunk  lay  on  the  back,  the  head  pushed  forward  on  the  chest. 
The  thighs  were  partly  drawn  up  to  the  right,  with  the  legs  flexed  against  them. 
The  right  arm  lay  along  the  body,  as  did  the  left  humerus,  but  the  left  forearm 
lay  across  the  trunk.  There  was  no  room  to  spare  within  the  grave,  the  skeleton 
being  in  contact  with  the  slabs  at  the  head  and  foot,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  grave 
some  effort  had  been  necessary  to  accommodate  the  bones,  the  width  of  the  grave 
not  having  been  sufficient,  originally,  to  receive  the  thighs  and  pelvis  if  placed 
horizontally  on  the  floor.  In  consequence,  the  thighs  were  angled  against  one 
side  of  the  grave. 

In  the  grave  with  the  skeleton  no  artifacts  were  found,  but  on  the  upper  side 
of  one  of  the  top  slabs  that  had  fallen  in  was  an  undecorated  bowl  which  fell  into 
bits  on  removal.  Seemingly  this  bowl  had  been  placed  on  the  grave  after  the 
arrangement  of  the  slabs  and  before  the  earth  was  filled  in. 

Burial  No.  2,  traces  of  a  skeleton  of  an  adult,  about  3  feet  down,  extended  on 
the  back,  the  head  directed  S. 

Burial  No.  3,  remains  of  the  skeleton-  of  a  grown  person,  which  had  been 
flexed  to  the  left,  the  head  S. 

Burial  No.  4,  crowns  of  the  teeth  of  a  child.  This  burial,  as  well  as  the  preced 
ing  one,  was  20  inches  deep. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  stone  grave.  From  the  surface  of  the  mound  to  the  top  of 
the  grave  the  distance  was  2.5  feet.  Above  the  grave  were  scattered  human  bones 
indicating  that  another  burial  had  been  disturbed  in  the  making  of  the  stone 
grave. 

The  supporting  slabs  of  this  grave,  in  single  thickness,  had  been  arranged  in 
a  manner  similar  to  those  described  in  connection  with  Burial  No.  1  in  this  mound, 
and  consequently  they  slanted  outward  to  a  considerable  extent,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  slab  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  only,  which  remained  vertical.  Hence, 
the  covering  slabs  had  fallen  in,  some  resting  squarely  on  the  bones  which  they 


220  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

had  crushed,  others  with  one  edge  down  and  the  opposite  side  still  remaining  on 
the  supporting  slabs.  The  top  slabs  had  been  irregularly  placed,  overlapping, 
some  in  double  thickness,  some  three  deep. 

This  grave,  somewhat  larger  than  it  had  been  originally,  no  doubt,  owing  to 
the  outward  slant  of  the  supporting  slabs,  was  6  feet  10  inches  in  length  and  3  feet 
4  inches  in  width.  On  the  bottom  of  the  grave,  which  was  without  slabs,  was  a 
skeleton  extended  at  full  length  on  the  back,  the  head  directed  ENE.  The  grave, 
inside  measurement,  was  5  feet  9  inches  in  length  and  slightly  more  than  2  feet  in 
width;  its  depth,  one  foot.  The  astragalus  and  the  scaphoid  of  the  right  foot 
lay  half-way  to  the  knee,  though  the  other  foot-bones  and  the  bones  of  the  left 
foot  were  in  place. 

Artifacts  with  this  burial  were  not  of  a  gratifying  kind.  At  the  right  of  the 
skull,  concave  side  up,  was  a  sherd,  10  inches  by  7  inches,  which  had  formed  part 
of  a  large  cooking  vessel.  At  the  outer  side  of  the  left  knee  had  been  an  upright 
vessel  with  encircling  knobs  below  the  rim,  now  decaying  and  broken. 

Burial  No.  6.  This  burial,  that  of  a  young  child,  lay  about  2  feet  down 
protected  by  a  single  slab  of  stone  which  lay  over  it  diagonally.  Presumably  the 
body  had  been  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  excavation  and  the  slab  had  been 
arranged  above  it,  the  upper  part  leaning  against  the  side  of  the  grave.  Two  small 
fragments  of  stone  near  the  skeleton  may  have  had  some  connection  with  the 
burial,  perhaps  may  have  fallen  from  the  protecting  slab. 

MOUND  AT  OLD  CALLENS'  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

At  Old  Callens'  Landing  (the  present  landing  being  somewhat  farther  up  the 
river),  immediately  on  the  river's  bank  and  apparently  having  suffered  to  some 
extent  from  wash  on  the  side  nearest  the  water,  is  a  mound  having  a  flat  top  with 
numerous  trees  upon  it.  This  mound,  8  feet  6  inches  in  height,  is  on  the  property 
of  Messrs.  Callens  Brothers,  of  Cerro  Gordo,  Tenn.  The  diameter  of  the  base 
parallel  to  the  river  is  106  feet.  The  present  width  of  the  base  is  56  feet.  The 
sides  do  not  face  the  cardinal  points. 

The  mound,  of  clay  with  some  admixture  of  loam  in  the  upper  parts,  was  not 
sufficiently  soft  for  the  use  of  the  rod.  The  summit-plateau  was  tested  with 
trial-holes  in  all  directions,  but  without  success. 

MOUND  NEAR  DICKEY'S  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

On  the  estate  of  Mr.  J.  S.  Dickey,  whose  home  is  upon  it,  is  a  mound  having 
a  flat  top  which,  as  well  as  the  sides,  evidently  has  been  plowed  over  for  a  long 
time,  as  the  mound  has  no  regular  outline.  It  is  situated  in  a  cultivated  field 
about  one-half  mile  NE.  from  Dickey's  Landing.  Its  height  is  11  feet;  its  diam 
eters  of  base,  145  feet  and  95  feet.  Neither  it  nor  the  surrounding  area  has  any 
history  of  discoveries  of  artifacts  or  bones,  though,  of  course,  before  the  time  of  the 
present  generation,  aboriginal  graves  may  have  been  discovered  there. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVKH.  221 

This  mound,  which  was  of  sandy  loam  in  the  upper  two-thirds,  lent  itself  to 
the  use  of  sounding-rods,  and  in  consequence  was  prodded  in  all  parts  by  us.  In 
addition,  numerous  trial-holes  were  put  down,  but  nothing  of  interest  was 
encountered. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  WILLIAMS  PLACE,   HARDIN   COUNTY,   TENNESSEE. 

The  Williams  Place,  two  miles  below  Savannah,  Tenn.,  on  the  same  side  of 
the  river,  is  described  in  the  Smithsonian  Report  for  1870  (p.  416  ct  ,srr/.)  as  having 
a  number  of  mounds  which  were  investigated  by  the  agent  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  Results  are  detailed  that  show  the  lack  of  success  which  is  likely 
to  follow  mound  exploration  along  Tennessee  river. 

We  did  not  attempt  further  investigation  at  this  place,  having  learned  that 
some  of  the  mounds  there  had  been  plowed  away  since  the  investigation  referred 
to  and  that  no  discoveries  had  been  made  during  the  cultivation  of  the  property. 

MOUNDS    AT    SAVANNAH,    HARDIN    COUNTY,    TENNESSEE. 

This  aboriginal  site,  originally  of  importance,  was  surveyed  and  investigated 
for  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  the  results  being  detailed  in  the  Smithsonian 
Report  for  1870  (p.  408  et  .sr</.),  and  in  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau 
of  American  Ethnology  (p.  578).  Since  the  visit  of  Mr.  J.  Parish  Stelle,  who 
conducted  the  investigation,  the  mounds  of  the  group  have  been  destroyed  wholly 
or  in  part  owing  to  their  presence  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  No  further 
investigation  was  considered  by  us  to  be  feasible  or  desirable. 

MOUNDS  OPPOSITE  WOLF  ISLAND,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  river,  going  up,  opposite  the  lower  end  of  Wolf 
Island,  on  property  controlled  by  Mr.  J.  F.  Williams,  of  Crump,  Tenn.,  are  two 
mounds  about  150  feet  apart,  near  the  river  bank  and  in  full  view  from  it. 

The  larger  mound,  which  has  a  flat  top  and  probably  has  been  quadrangular, 
is  said  to  have  had  a  house  upon  it.  Its  shape  at  present  is  somewhat  irregular. 
Several  small  holes,  no  doubt  unambitious  efforts  of  treasure-seekers,  were  in  the 
summit-plateau.  The  height  is  12  feet;  the  diameters,  115  feet  and  165  feet. 
We  were  unable,  by  systematic  prodding  and  by  trial-holes,  to  get  any  trace  of 
burials  in  the  superficial  part  of  this  mound. 

The  smaller  mound,  very  symmetrical,  about  circular  as  to  the  base,  which 
had  a  diameter  of  50  feet,  almost  without  summit-plateau,  was  on  the  end  of  a 
ridge  about  2  feet  above  the  general  level,  which  gave  the  mound  the  appearance, 
from  one  side,  of  having  a  height  of  about  7  feet;  but  this  in  reality,  was  not  the 
case,  the  base  of  the  mound  being  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  ridge,  as  was  shown 
by  a  central  hole  8  feet  by  10  feet  sunk  by  us  to  the  undisturbed  soil  and  into  it. 

The  mound  had  been  made  of  clay  on  top  to  a  depth  of  about  1.5  foot  when 
sand  having  a  slight  admixture  of  clay  continued  3.5  feet  to  the  bottom  of  the 
mound. 


222  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Traces  of  four  burials  were  come  upon,  three  resting  on  the  sand  and  covered 
by  the  upper  layer  of  clay,  and  one  (Burial  No.  4)  completely  in  the  sand,  40 
inches  from  the  surface. 

Burial  Xo.  1  consisted  of  traces  of  bone  and  two  crowns  of  teeth.  Burial 
No.  2  was  remains  of  the  skeleton  of  an  adult,  which  had  been  flexed  to  the  right, 
the  head  SSW.  Burial  No.  3  showed  only  indications  of  bone;  no  teeth  or  trace 
of  the  skull  were  recovered. 

Burial  No.  4,  fragments  of  the  skeleton  of  an  adult,  which  had  been  partly 
flexed  to  the  left,  the  head  SE.  At  the  left  shoulder  was  a  small,  undecorated 
pot  of  very  inferior  ware,  which  had  possessed  two  loop  handles,  one  of  which 
was  missing.  At  the  right  of  the  skull  was  a  small  bowl  on  edge,  somewhat 
broken,  undecorated  save  for  a  rude  effigy  of  the  head  of  a  bird  rising  from  the 
rim  on  one  side,  and  a  conventional  tail  extending  horizontally  on  the  other  side. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  PERKINS  BLUFF,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

Immediately  back  of  the  landing  at  Perkins  Bluff  is  high  ground,  property 
of  Mr.  G.  L.  Perkins,  of  Crump,  Tenn.,  the  fields  on  which  have  in  places  small 
deposits  of  midden  debris.  In  light  woods  bordering  the  fields  are  a  number 
of  small  mounds  from  a  few  inches  to  4  feet  in  height  and  from  15  to  35  feet  in 
diameter. 

The  largest  of  these  mounds,  evidently  very  symmetrical  originally,  had  been 
dug  out  thoroughly  as  to  its  central  portion  prior  to  our  visit,  and  human  bones 
lay  at  the  border  of  the  hole.  We  were  told  that  a  shell  on  which  were  "letters" 
(a  gorget,  if  anything)  had  been  found  with  the  skull  of  a  skeleton  lying  on  the 
bottom  of  the  mound.  Four  equidistant  trenches,  each  about  3  feet  wide,  were 
put  in  by  us  from  the  margin  of  the  mound  along  its  base  to  where  the  previous 
digging  had  been,  through  raw  clay  in  three  instances,  the  fourth  trench  in  clay 
and  gravel.  Our  efforts  were  without  success. 

Nine  other  mounds,  including  one  in  a  cultivated  field,  some  of  which  had 
been  previously  dug  into,  were  carefully  investigated  by  us.  In  one,  but  a  few 
inches  in  height  and  about  15  feet  across,  was  a  skeleton  7  inches  down,  partly 
flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  NW.  The  skeleton  lay  on  raw,  undisturbed  clay 
in  dark,  loamy  soil  containing  some  midden  refuse. 

In  another  mound  in  which  some  digging  had  been  done,  part  of  a  human  left 
femur  lay  at  the  edge  of  the  hole. 

A  number  of  other  mounds  at  this  place,  similar  outwardly  to  those  described 
by  us,  and  probably  inwardly  also,  were  left  uninvestigated. 

MOUND  NEAR  PlTTSBURG  FERRY,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

About  300  yards  NNE.  from  the  landing  at  Pittsburg  Ferry,  which  is  opposite 
Pittsburg  Landing,  in  a  cultivated  field  belonging  to  F.  C.  Williams,  D.D.S.,  of 
Savannah,  Tenn.,  is  a  mound  that  evidently  has  been  under  cultivation  for  a 
considerable  time,  and  whose  dimensions  may  have  differed  greatly  from  those 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  223 

noted  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  which  were:  height,  4.5  feet;  diameter  of  circular 
base,  80  feet. 

The  mound,  of  material  mainly  clay  dark  in  color,  was  riddled  with  explora 
tory  holes  by  us  except  in  the  outer  parts  where  preliminary  digging  indicated 
no  burials  were  to  be  found. 

In  addition,  a  hole  10  feet  by  9  feet  was  sunk  centrally  in  the  summit  to  a 
depth  of  6  feet,  with  four  smaller  excavations  from  its  base,  each  about  18  inches 
in  depth.  Five  feet  6  inches  down  a  base  line  seemed  to  be  reached,  but  this 
was  not  decisive,  clay  of  much  the  same  color  as  the  mound  continuing  as  far 
as  the  digging  went,  and  a  fragment  of  worked  flint  coming  from  the  greatest 
depth.  Presumably  the  mound  had  been  built  on  the  made-ground  of  the 
dwelling-site. 

Immediately  below  the  surface  scattered  fragments  of  human  bones  were 
found,  evidently  indicating  disturbances  by  the  plow.  With  one  of  these  dis 
turbed  burials  had  been  three  vessels  of  earthenware,  undecorated  and  common 
place  in  form,  whose  fragments  were  mixed  with  the  bones. 

Five  burials  in  all  were  encountered,  none  deeper  than  2  feet,  two  of  which 
had  cut  through  fireplaces  in  the  mound. 

Burial  No.  1,  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  the  head  E.  Lying  trans 
versely  on  the  thorax  was  a  graceful  celt  of  slate,  5.3  inches  in  length.  At  the 
right  shoulder  was  a  small,  undecorated  bottle  having  a  globular  body  with  an 
angular  base.  Near  the  skull  was  a  small  bowl  with  a  rude  animal  head  on  one 
side  and  a  conventional  tail  on  the  opposite  side. 

Burials  Nos.  2  and  3  were  each  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  to  the  E. 
Over  the  feet  of  one  was  a  mixture  of  bones  of  another  skeleton,  including  the 
skull. 

Burial  No.  4  lay  extended  on  the  back,  the  head  directed  E.  by  N.  At  the 
skull  was  a  small,  undecorated  pot  having  two  loop  handles,  and  a  large  fragment 
of  a  coarse  cooking  vessel  lay  on  the  trunk.  An  asymmetrical  bottle  of  yellow 
ware,  undecorated,  having  a  neck  in  the  form  of  a  truncated  cone,  was  at  the 
right  shoulder. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  mixture  of  bones  15  inches  down,  seemed  rather  too  deep  to 
have  been  a  disturbance  through  cultivation,  and  may  have  been  an  aboriginal 
one.  All  the  bones  in  this  mound  were  badly  decayed  and  fell  to  pieces  on 
removal. 

In  a  nearby  dwelling-site  holes  came  upon  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back, 
the  skull,  plowed  away  in  all  likelihood,  being  absent.  Its  direction  would  have 
been  E.  by  N. — easterly  like  those  in  the  mound.  Part  of  the  skull  of  a  child 
also  was  found  just  below  the  surface. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  PlTTSBURG  LANDING,  HARD1N  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

At  Pittsburg  Landing,  immediately  overlooking  the  river,  is  (he  I'liiled 
States  National  Cemetery  where  lie  many  of  those  killed  on  the  Union  side  in 


224 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


the  engagement  at  Pittsburg  Landing  and  at  the  Battle  of  Shiloh.  which  took 

place  on  the  high  ground  around  the  landing,  in  the  Civil  War  between  the  States. 

The  Federal  government  also  has  created  and  maintains  the  Shiloh  National 

Military  Park,  where  the  Battle  of  Shiloh  was  fought,  and  in  this  park,  near  the 


D 


Scale  in  jest 
200 


FIG.  20.— Plan  of  mounds  on  Shiloh  Battlefield,  Tcn?i. 

river,  is  a  group  of  seven  beautiful,  symmetrical,  aboriginal  mounds,  a  plan  of 
which,  made  by  Dr.  M.  G.  Miller  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  is  shown  in  Fig.  20, 
and  various  low  humps  and  knolls  of  aboriginal  origin,  one  of  which,  compara 
tively  low  and  of  very  irregular  outline,  is  sometimes  described  as  an  eighth 
mound  belonging  to  the  group. 

Immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  river  is  a  superb  mound  (A)  with  steep  sides, 
on  which  a  house  has  been  built  for  the  use  of  the  superintendent  of  the  park. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  225 

This  mound,  as  arc  five  of  the  others,  is  square  or  nearly  square,  with  a  flat 
summit-plateau,  the  sides  approximately  facing  the  cardinal  points.  The 
heights  of  the  mounds  are  as  follows : 

Mound  A — 14  feet    6  inches.  Mound  E —  5  feet  1  inch. 

Mound  B —  8  feet    6  inches.  Mound  F--  9  feet  3  inches. 

Mound  C— 10  feet    2  inches.  Mound  G— 11  feet  6  inches. 
Mound  D —  9  feet  10  inches. 

Permission  to  dig  into  these  mounds  is  at  present  unobtainable,  though  most 
of  them  have  been  investigated,  apparently  to  a  very  limited  extent,  with  one 
exception  (Mound  C]  to  be  referred  to  in  due  course.  The  humps,  however, 
have  been  dug  considerably,  owing,  perhaps,  to  their  convenient  size.  Under 
the  summit-plateau  of  Mound  G  were  buried  the  dead  of  the  Twenty-eighth 
Illinois  Infantry,  prior  to  their  removal  to  the  National  Cemetery  nearby.  The 
traces  of  the  burial  trenches  in  this  mound  might  be  mistaken  for  vestiges  of 
former  investigation  were  not  the  facts  a  matter  of  history. 

Mound  (7,  elliptical  in  outline,  was  dug  into  in  1899  and  a  most  remarkable 
pipe  was  discovered  in  it.  An  excellent  account  of  the  work,  by  Col.  Cornelius 
Cadle,  who  conducted  it,  is  given  in  Records  of  the  Past  (July,  1902,  p.  218 
et  seq.},  the  height  of  the  mound  as  stated  by  him,  namely,  10  feet  2  inches,  exactly 
tallying  with  our  measurement.1 

Colonel  Cadle,  in  the  selection  of  this  particular  mound  for  investigation, 
evinced  excellent  judgment  or  enjoyed  great  good  fortune,  since  all  other  mounds 
of  the  group,  being  square  of  base  and  flat  of  top,  presumably  were  domiciliary 
and  most  likely  contained  no  burials.  We  quote  from  the  account: 

"Continuing  the  work  we  reached  the  center,  driving  about  2  feet  further. 
This  cut,  commencing  at  the  surface,  was  driven  at  a  slight  angle  upward  for 
drainage  in  case  of  rain,  and  because  I  expected  to  make  a  'find'  on  the  original 
surface  and  at  the  center.  For  a  space  of  about  4  by  5  feet  in  the  center,  8  inches 
above  the  original  surface  (the  surface  of  the  cut),  the  ground,  upon  striking  it 
with  the  handle  of  a  shovel,  sounded  hollow.  Going  back  toward  the  entrance, 
1  foot  from  the  resounding  area,  a  hole  was  dug  2  feet  deep  and  across  the  cut, 
and  with  knife  and  fingers  the  earth  slowly  taken  away,  toward  the  supposed 
'  hollow.'  We  were  rewarded  in  an  hour  or  two  by  finding,  first,  that  this  '  hollow ' 
area  had  been  covered  with  large  logs.  Carefully  removing  this  wood,  which  was 
decayed,  we  found  the  remains  of  three  bodies,  the  crania,  the  vertebra?,  the  arm 
and  leg  bones;  apparently  laid  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground  before  the  mound 
wras  started,  either  in  a  sitting  position;  or  possibly  the  bones  had  been  brought 
there  for  reinterment,  and  the  burial  place  had  been  timbered  so  as  to  form  a 
cell  or  room,  but  the  wood  in  decaying  had  caused  a  cave-in,  filling  up  the  room. 

1  The  account,  however,  is  in  error  in  two  particulars,  namely,  in  stating  that  the  mounds  are  oval 
as  to  the  bases  with  one  exception  (that  marked  A  on  our  plan),  and  in  assigning  to  this  mound  a  height 
of  25  feet,  which  altitude,  as  we  have  said  in  the  introduction  to  this  report,  would  require  a  part  of 
the  river  bank  on  which  the  mound  is,  to  complete. 
19  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


KKI.  21. — Effigy-pipe  found  by  Colonel  Cadle,  in  a  mound  on  Shiloh  Battlefield.     (Full  size;.) 
(Greatly  enlarged  from  a  photograph  in  Records  of  the  Past.) 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  227 

.  .  .  About  the  center  of  this  burial  space  we  struck  something  that  looked  like 
an  arm  in  stone.  For  two  hours  we  carefully  excavated  and  dug,  not  daring  to 
use  an}r  implement  but  our  knives  and  fingers,  and  were  rewarded  by  finding  a 
pipe  in  human  form,  bent  on  one  knee,  the  bowl  and  place  for  the  mouth-piece 
in  the  back.  It  is  about  10  inches  high,  carved  apparently  from  either  'Cat- 
linite,'  the  'red-pipe  stone  of  Minnesota,'  or  a  similar  stone.  It  is  the  most  per 
fect  piece  of  prehistoric  carving  that  I  have  seen,  much  superior  in  artistic  work 
to  anything  of  the  kind  described  and  illustrated  in  Force,  Short,  Bancroft, 
Thruston  and  others,  or  that  I  have  seen  in  various  collections." 

This  remarkable  pipe,  which,  enlarged  from  an  illustration  taken  from  Records 
of  the  Past,  is  shown  in  Fig.  21,  to  which  Colonel  Cadle  does  no  more  than 
simple  justice,  is  now  in  the  office  of  the  superintendent  of  Shiloh  National  Mili 
tary  Park  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  where  it  is  exposed  to  fire,  theft,  and  breakage. 
Its  place  is  in  the  National  Museum  at  Washington. 

MOUND  NEAR  NASH  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

About  half  a  mile  above  Nash  Landing,  in  an  open  field,  on  property  of 
Mr.  O.  C.  Hagy,  of  Selmcr,  Tenn.,  is  a  mound  reported  by  our  agent,  who 
estimated  its  height  at  10  feet,  to  have  been  very  badly  dug  away;  hence  the 
mound  was  not  visited  by  us. 

MOUNDS  BELOW  NORTH  CAROLINA  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

In  a  cultivated  field  about  one  mile  in  a  westerly  direction  from  North  Carolina 
Landing,  on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  John  T.  Morris,  living  somewhat  farther 
back  from  the  river,  are  two  mounds  about  60  yards  apart. 

The  larger  mound  has  long  been  under  cultivation  and  the  furrows  of  the 
field  in  which  it  is  are  carried  continuously  over  it  in  plowing,  so  that  on  two  sides 
its  slope  has  become  very  gradual.  On  a  third  side  it  has  been  in  part  cut  away 
by  a  road.  Its  present  height  is  about  7  feet;  its  diameters,  about  100  feet  and 
150  feet,  approximately.  The  mound,  which  no  doubt  has  been  quadrangular, 
with  flat  top, — a  domiciliary  mound, — is  of  raw,  yellow  clay  and  yielded  no  sign 
of  burial. 

The  smaller  mound,  about  3  feet  in  height  and  50  feet  across  its  irregular 
base,  has  been  plowed  around — and  probably  over,  though  not  under  cultivation 
at  the  time  of  our  visit — and  has  been  mutilated  by  a  roadway.  This  mound 
was  carefully  dug  into  in  a  number  of  places,  though  its  composition,  raw, 
yellow  clay  from  the  beginning,  gave  little  hope  of  success.  A  base-line  was 
reached  at  a  depth  of  3  feet  7  inches,  but  some  of  the  holes  were  carried  some 
what  farther.  With  the  exception  of  a  broken  piercing  implement  of  bone,  no 
sign  of  man's  handiwork  or  of  human  remains  was  encountered. 

From  the  surface  at  this  place  was  picked  up  an  arrowhead  of  gray  flint, 
1.9  inch  in  length,  .8  inch  in  width,  and  having  a  maximum  thickness  of  only 
.15  inch. 


228 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


MOUND  NEAR  NORTH  CAROLINA  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

On  property  of  Mr.  H.  B.  McGce,  living  somewhat  back  from  the  river,  is  a 
mound  in  a  cultivated  field,  about  one-half  mile  SW.  from  North  Carolina  Land 
ing.  The  mound  is  without  corners,  the  sides  slope  gently,  and  the  top  is  convex. 
It  is  impossible  to  say  what  shape  the  elevation  may  have  had,  as  it  has  been 
incorporated  in  the  field,  all  the  cultivation  of  which  is  shared  by  the  mound. 
Its  length  is  90  feet;  its  width,  55  feet.  Its  height,  as  taken  by  us,  was  some 
what  more  than  5  feet,  but  it  became  evident  in  the  course  of  the  digging  that 
the  debris  of  the  dwelling-site,  which  the  surrounding  field  had  been,  had  accu 
mulated  around  the  mound,  thus  impairing  its  original  height. 


FIG.  22. — Bottle  of  earthenware.     North  Carolina  Landing,  Tenn.     (Height  8.7  inches.) 

Centrally  a  hole  8  feet  by  10  feet  was  sunk  and  the  height  of  the  mound  from 
the  original  surface  was  determined  as  7  feet.  Remains  of  two  post-holes  were 
found  in  the  digging,  and  of  several  fireplaces  at  different  depths,  one  having 
had  the  outline  of  a  basin. 

Though  parts  of  a  human  skull  and  several  teeth  were  on  the  surface  of  the 
mound  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  no  bones  or  artifacts  were  encountered  in  the 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  229 

central  excavation,  though  one  of  two  smaller  holes,  which  were  made  on  each 
side  of  the  main  excavation,  came  upon  two  bottles  near  together,  about  1.5  foot 
below  the  surface,  having,  however,  no  human  remains  in  association.  One  of 
the  bottles  (Fig.  22),  with  a  slender  neck  expanding  toward  the  mouth,  had 
been  covered  with  red  pigment,  much  of  which  had  disappeared.  The  ware  is 
fairly  good,  and,  in  conjunction  with  the  grace  of  its  form,  seemed  to  promise 
earthenware  of  more  artistic  design  and  manufacture  than  we  had  so  far  found 
on  Tennessee  river.  The  other  bottle,  with  a  broad  neck,  is  undccorated  and 
of  inferior  ware. 

Air.  McGee,  the  owner  of  the  property,  informed  us  that  recently  a  stone 
grave  had  been  plowed  up  near  the  mound,  and  our  digging  in  the  surrounding 
field  came  upon  a  slab  of  limestone  a  few  inches  below  the  surface,  near  which 
was  part  of  a  human  humerus.  Presumably  a  stone  grave  had  formerly  been 
at  this  place. 

About  one-half  mile  westerly  from  the  mound  is  a  field  about  eleven  acres 
in  extent,  so  thickly  covered  with  fragments  of  flint-wasters,  flakes,  chippings, 
and  parts  of  pointed  and  edged  implements — that  one  could  not  walk  without 
covering  a  number  of  them  at  each  step.  But  little  in  the  way  of  fragments  of 
pottery  could  be  seen,  and  complete  points  or  other  implements  were  rare.  Mr. 
McGee  informed  us  that  in  the  past  many  arrow-  and  spear-points  had  lain  on 
the  surface,  but  these  had  been  broken  by  the  plow  or  carried  away.  We  heard 
from  another  source  that  persons  living  nearby  had  searched  the  field  for  imple 
ments  and  that  an  employe  on  a  fleet  of  dredgeboats  which  had  been  quartered 
on  the  river  nearby  had  acted  as  a  collector  for  a  dealer  in  antiquities. 

A  number  of  trial-holes  were  put  down  in  a  small  rise  in  the  field,  one  of  which 
came  upon  a  slab  of  limestone  8  inches  from  the  surface,  beneath  which  were  the 
bones  of  the  upper  extremities  and  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax  of  a  human  skele 
ton — no  doubt  the  remainder  of  a  stone  grave. 

There  were  also  found  remains  of  a  skeleton,  unenclosed,  so  badly  decayed 
that  the  form  of  burial  could  not  be  determined,  and  two  skeletons  in  very  poor 
condition,  both  extended  on  the  back,  one  heading  SE.,  the  other  ESE. 

Apart  from  bones  were  found  a  sheet  of  mica  about  6  inches  by  5  inches,  and 
a  slab  of  limestone,  no  doubt  having  belonged  to  a  stone  grave. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  stone  graves  were  at  this  place  in  the  past, 
but  whether  of  the  box-grave  variety  or  not,  we  are  unable  to  say. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  PICKWICK  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

On  property  of  Mr.  T.  J.  Fields  is  what  is  generally  supposed  to  be  a  mound, 
about  one  mile  SE.  of  Pickwick  Landing,  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  river, 
going  up.  ( 'arcful  examination  based  upon  digging  showed  this  elevation,  which 
is  about  11  feet  high  and  82  feet  by  110  feet  in  basal  diameters  to  be  a  natural 
formation. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  this  elevation   has  been  an  extensive,   aboriginal 


230 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


dwelling-site,  many  contiguous  fields  having  scattered  over  them  fragments  of 
stone,  flint  in  the  main,  and  some  knives,  lancepoints,  and  arrowheads,  of  flint, 
broken  and  whole.  Three  points  selected  from  others  gathered  at  this  place 
are  shown  in  Fig.  23,  one  of  which,  having  been  broken  on  one  side,  has  been 
worked  over  to  give  the  broken  margin  an  edge.  No  rise  was  apparent  in  any 
of  the  fields,  and  the  level  ground  seemed  no  longer  to  be  midden  debris,  which 
presumably  has  washed  away,  leaving  on  the  present  surface  what  had  been  on 
it  and  in  it. 


FIG.  23. — Points  of  flint.     Site  near  Pickwick  Landing  (near  Sulphur  Creek),  Term.     (Full  size.) 

MOUND  NEAR  BOYD'S  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

In  sight  from  the  river  bank  when  foliage  docs  not  intervene,  about  one-quarter 
mile  in  a  northerly  direction  from  Boyd's  Landing,  in  woods  forming  part  of  the 
property  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Lakey,  living  about  one  mile  farther  back  from  the  river, 
is  a  mound  7  feet  in  height.  The  mound  has  been  washed  away  to  some  extent, 
or  dug  into  considerably,  years  ago.  At  all  events,  part  of  its  northern  side  is 
missing,  so  that  what  probably  was  once  a  circular  base  with  a  diameter  of  70 
feet,  has  that  dimension  now  only  through  its  E.  and  W.  parts.  There  was  almost 
no  summit-plateau,  and  the  mound,  judging  from  its  shape,  might  well  have  been 
erected  for  burial  purposes. 

From  the  summit  of  the  mound  a  hole  11  by  6.5  feet  was  carried  to  a  depth  of 
7  feet  9  inches,  reaching  a  dark  band  marking  the  original  surface,  7  feet  7  inches 
down.  From  the  base  of  this  excavation  five  holes  were  dug,  one  in  the  center 


ABORIGINAL  SITUS  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  231 

and  one  in  each  corner,  the  corner  ones  extending  18  inches  down  through  clay 
evidently  without  former  disturbance,  with  one  exception  where  5  inches  below 
the  line  of  the  base  two  masses  of  galena  (lead  sulphide),  one  somewhat  larger 
than  a  clenched  hand,  one  smaller,  were  found  together.  Both  these  masses 
were  heavily  coated  with  lead  carbonate,  the  white-lead  of  commerce,  used  for 
the  making  of  paint.  In  the  great  site  at  Moundville,  Ala.,  we  found  this  white- 
lead  pigment  on  ceremonial  palettes  of  stone  in  aboriginal  graves.  In  the  mound 
under  description,  these  masses  lay  on  undisturbed  clay,  but  were  surrounded 
by  the  dark  material  composing  the  base-line,  and  evidently  were  a  deposit  of 
some  kind. 

The  central  hole  put  down  from  the  base,  4  feet  long  by  20  inches  wide,  was 
carried  through  material  that  seemed  to  have  been  disturbed,  perhaps  by  the 
planting  of  a  post.  Nothing  was  discovered  in  this  hole. 

In  the  main  excavation  in  the  mound,  which  went  through  raw  clay  without 
indication  of  occupancy  or  of  burial,  were  no  fireplaces.  The  only  artifacts 
found  were  occasional  chips  of  flint  and  fragmentary  projectile  points,  perhaps 
introduced  with  the  clay  in  the  making  of  the  mound.  Five  masses  of  galena, 
two  together,  also  were  come  upon  in  the  digging.  The  discovery  of  quantities 
of  galena  will  be  described  in  our  account  of  Tennessee  river  mounds  in  Alabama. 
The  reader  is  invited  to  consult  the  "Handbook  of  American  Indians"  as  to 
galena. 

MOTXD  NEAR  SWAN  POND  LANDING,  HARDIN  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

Our  agent  visited  a  mound  a  short  distance  above  Swan  Pond  Landing,  on 
property  of  which  Mr.  Thomas  McKelvy  is  the  owner.  This  mound,  according 
to  our  agent,  has  a  flat  top,  is  about  7  feet  in  height  and  70  feet  square.  There  is 
a  building  on  this  mound  and  permission  to  dig  was  not  obtained. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  THE  MOUTH  OF  YELLOW  CREEK,   HAUDIX   COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

About  one-half  mile  due  west  from  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek  is  a  mound  in 
woods  belonging  to  Messrs.  Walker  and  Ross,  of  Savannah,  Tenn.  This  mound, 
apparently  intact  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  was  32  feet  across  its  circular  base. 
Its  height  varied,  the  mound  being  on  a  slope.  From  the  upper  side  the  altitude 
was  but  1  foot  4  inches,  while  measured  from  the  lower  side  it  was  slightly  more 
than  o  feet. 

An  excavation  12  feet  square  was  put  down  in  the  central  part  of  the  mound, 
showing  it  to  be  of  raw,  yellow  clay  and  that  there  was  no  marked  line  of  the 
base,  compact  clay  of  lighter  shade  than  that  of  the  mound  being  encountered, 
however,  at  a  depth  of  30  inches.  This  was  dug  out  to  an  additional  depth  of 
one  foot  without  showing  modification  and  undoubtedly  was  the  underlying  clay 
of  the  mound. 

Five  inches  from  the  surface  was  a  skeleton  much  decayed,  indicating  a  burial 
closely  flexed  to  the  left.  Ten  inches  deeper  were  fragments  of  two  long-bones. 


232  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Twenty-eight  inches  down  lay  mere  traces  of  bones,  and  at  about  the  same  level, 
but  some  distance  away,  were  the  remains  of  two  femora  and  two  tibiae,  not  in 
order  but  lying  side  by  side  and  having  the  remains  of  a  skull  at  one  end. 

Twenty-two  inches  from  the  surface  were  two  slabs  and  a  mass  of  sandstone 
not  in  contact,  the  slabs  being  about  4  inches  apart  and  the  mass  5  inches  from 
them.  Altogether  they  covered  a  space  14  inches  by  34  inches.  On  these  frag 
ments  of  rock  were  traces  of  bones,  presumably  all  that  remained  of  a  burial 
which  had  lain  on  this  placement  of  stone. 

Apart  from  burials  were  found  a  mass  of  galena,  and  a  graceful  arrowhead  or 
lancepoint  of  flint,  slightly  more  than  3  inches  in  length,  having  a  conspicuously 
long  stem  and  similar  to  one  figured  by  Thruston1  as  coming  from  Tennessee. 
It  is  also  a  Missouri  form.2 

One-quarter  mile  WSW.  from  the  mound  just  described  is  another,  also  in 
woods  and  of  the  same  ownership,  into  which  previous  diggers  had  run  a  trench 
a  yard  in  width,  from  the  margin  to  the  central  part,  broadening  somewhat 
there.  The  height  of  the  mound  was  4.5  feet;  the  diameter  of  its  circular  base, 
38  feet. 

An  excavation  16  feet  square  was  put  down  through  the  light-yellow  clay  of 
the  mound  to  what  seemed  to  be  the  base,  about  5  feet  from  the  summit,  where 
compact  clay,  darker  in  shade  and  soon  merging  into  red,  was  encountered.  On 
this  hillside  it  was  evident  no  dwelling  place  had  been,  so  no  midden  debris  was 
present  between  the  undisturbed  clay  and  the  body  of  the  mound. 

Near  the  surface  was  a  slab  of  limestone  under  which  were  a  human  pelvis 
and  the  upper  parts  of  two  femora,  evidently  the  remainder  of  a  burial  which 
had  been  cut  away  by  the  previous  digging,  at  the  edge  of  which  these  remains 
were  found.  Slightly  more  than  one  foot  down  and  at  a  depth  of  4  feet,  re 
spectively,  were  traces  of  bones. 

About  3  feet  down  was  a  fireplace  on  which  clay  used  in  making  the  mound 
had  been  thrown.  This  clay  had  been  somewhat  discolored  by  the  heat. 

About  9.5  feet  from  the  center  of  the  mound,  2  feet  4  inches  down,  under  the 
slope,  were  two  slabs,  one  of  sandstone,  the  other  of  limestone,  and  a  mass  of 
cherty  material,  arranged  rudely  in  the  form  of  a  horizontal  triangle  with  an 
altitude  of  2  feet  7  inches  and  2  feet  across  the  base,  which  was  composed  of  a 
slab  and  a  mass  side  by  side,  the  remaining  slab  forming  the  apex  of  the  triangle. 
Three  other  slabs  were  in  the  soil  somewhat  above  the  grave,  separated,  without 
arrangement,  apparently  not  directly  connected  with  it. 

Under  this  triangle  of  stone  was  a  burial  of  an  adolescent  rather  closely 
flexed  on  the  right,  the  bones,  even  the  ribs,  retaining  their  shape  but  crumbling 
somewhat  on  removal.  With  the  exception  of  the  pelvis,  which  protruded, 
and  of  small  parts  left  unprotected  where  the  slabs  and  the  mass  were  not  in 
contact,  the  skeleton  was  completely  covered  by  the  stones. 

x  Op.  cit.,  Plate  XI. 

2  Gerard  Fowke,  "Prehistoric  Objects  Classified  and  Described,"  Plate  X,  Bulletin  1,  Missouri 
Historical  Society,  Department  of  Archaeology. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  233 

Five  feet  to  its  bottom,  in  part  under  the  stone  grave  just  described,  was  a 
grave-pit  2  feet  3  inches  wide  by  6  feet  5  inches  in  length,  extending  2  feet  into 
the  undisturbed  clay  below  the  base  of  the  mound.  This  grave,  in  which  no 
trace  of  bone  remained,  had  been  filled  with  the  yellow  clay  of  the  mound.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  in  this  mound  the  absence  of  a  central  grave  or  of  one 
comparatively  near  the  center  of  the  base. 

PART   II. 

TENNESSEE  RIVER  IN  Alississippi  AND  IN  ALABAMA. 

Here,  continuing  our  investigation  on  Tennessee  river,  we  leave  the  state 
of  Tennessee  for  a  time  and  for  a  few  miles  have  Mississippi  on  our  right  and 
Alabama  on  our  left,  as  we  ascend  the  stream.  Then  our  exploration  is  con 
tinued  in  the  state  of  Alabama. 

Mounds   and   Sites. 

Mound  near  Hubbard  Landing,  Tishomingo  County,  Mississippi 

Dwelling-site  at  Baugh's  Landing,  Lauderdale  County,  Alabama. 

Mounds  near  Riverton,  Colbert  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-sites  near  Colbert  Creek,  Colbert  County,  Ala. 

Mounds  on  the  Johnson  Place,  Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-sites  on  Roger's  Island,   Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Mounds  near  Perkins  Spring,  Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  near  Cane  Creek,  Colbert  County,  Ala. 

Mound  and  Dwelling-sites  on  Seven  Mile  Island,  Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Mound  near  Florence,  Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  on  Gilchrist  Island,  Colbert  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  at  Lock  No.  3,  Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Periwinkle  Hill,  Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  on  the  Weaver  Place,  Lauderdale  County,  Ala. 

Mound  on  Tick  Island,  Lawrence  County,  Ala. 

Mounds  above  Nance's  Reef,  Lauderdale  Co.,  Ala. 

Mound  near  Sycamore  Landing,  Lawrence  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  on  Gilchrist  Island,  Lawrence  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  above  Milton  Bluff,  Lawrence  County,  Ala. 

Mound  on  Brown's  Island,  Lawrence  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  at  Brown's  Ferry,  Limestone  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  on  Mason  Island,  Limestone  County,  Ala. 

Mound  on  the  Steel  Place,  Limestone  County,  Ala. 

Mound  at  Decatur,   Ala. 

Mound  and  Dwelling-site  near  South  Flint  River,   Morgan  County,  Ala. 

Mound  near  Limestone  Creek,  Limestone  County,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  on  the  Hopper  Place,  Madison  County,  Ala. 

20  JOURN.  A.   N.   S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


234  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Dwelling-site  near  Cataco  Creek,   Morgan  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  on  the  Slaughter  Place,  Morgan  County,  Ala. 
Dwelling-site  at  White's  Ferry,  Madison  County,  Ala. 
Mound  and  Dwelling-site  above  Chunn's  Landing,  Morgan  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  and  Dwelling-site  on  Hobbs  Island,  Madison  County,  Ala. 
Dwelling-site  at  the  mouth  of  Flint  River,  Madison  County,  Ala. 
Dwelling-site   near   Bean   Rock,    Marshall   County,   Ala. 
Dwelling-site  near  Paint  Rock  Landing,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 
Dwelling-site  on  the  Foster  Place,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 
Dwelling-site  on  the  Penney  Place,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 
Mound  near  Guntcrsville,  Ala. 

Dwelling-site  on  McKee  Island,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 
Dwelling-site  on  the  Seibold  Place,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  on  Henry  Island,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 
The  Roden  Mounds,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 

Mound  and  Dwelling-site  on  Pine  Island,  Marshall  County,  Ala. 
Dwelling-sites  near  Garland's  Ferry,  Jackson  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  on  the  Snodgrass  Place,  Jackson  County,  Ala. 
Cox  Mound  and  Dwelling-site,  Jackson  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  on  the  Rudder  Place,  Jackson  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  near  Widow's  Creek,  Jackson  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  near  Williams  Landing,  Jackson  County,  Ala. 
Mounds  and  Dwelling-site  on  Bridgeport,  or  Long,  Island,  Jackson  County, 
Ala.,  and  Marion  County,  Tenn. 

MOUND    NEAR   HUBBARD    LANDING,    TlSHOMINGO    COUNTY,    MISSISSIPPI. 

About  one  mile  in  a  WSW.  direction  from  Hubbard  Landing,  near  the  resi 
dence  of  Mr.  R.  L.  Hubbard,  to  whom  it  belongs,  is  a  mound  about  4  feet  in 
height  and  30  feet  in  diameter.  We  visited  this  mound  but  found  its  central 
part  completely  dug  away. 

DWELLING-SITE  AT  BATJGH'S  LANDING,  LAUDERDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

At  Baugh's  Landing  is  a  large,  cultivated  field  belonging  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Baugh, 
who  lives  about  one  mile  inland.  The  southeastern  corner  of  this  field  is 
formed  by  the  junction  of  Baugh's  branch  with  Tennessee  river.  In  this  part 
of  the  field  is  a  slight  rise  above  the  general  level,  having  an  irregular  boundary, 
but  approximately  175  feet  in  diameter.  This  elevation  was  covered  thickly 
with  the  usual  debris  found  on  aboriginal  sites.  In  addition  were  picked  up  a 
globular  shell  bead  about  .6  inch  in  diameter,  and  several  discs  made  from  frag 
ments  of  pottery  vessels.  Bits  of  human  bones  lay  here  and  there. 

Trial-holes  came  almost  at  once  upon  burials  and  indicated  that  interments 
had  been  made  mainly  in  the  central  part  of  the  elevation,  which  was  slightly 


Q-<^o        ,    \  ^    '       O    ?  N 


236  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

higher  than  the  rest  of  it.  Such  burials  as  were  found  by  us  belonged  to  the 
later  period  of  the  growth  of  the  midden  deposit,  as  none  were  found  at  a  depth 
greater  than  3  feet  8  inches,  and  most  were  considerably  nearer  the  surface. 

From  the  surface  of  the  central  part  of  the  elevation  to  undisturbed  ground 
beneath  was  9  feet,  through  midden  soil  mixed  with  shells,  the  shells  being  com 
paratively  numerous  but  not  forming  any  large  proportion  of  the  material. 
Away  from  the  central  part  of  the  elevation,  however,  shells  in  places  were 
almost  without  admixture  of  soil,  as  if  such  spots  had  served  as  general  dumping 
places. 

Varying  in  depth  between  one  and  two  feet  the  superficial  soil  of  the  site  was 
very  dark.  Below  this  it  was  much  lighter  in  shade,  and  on  this  account,  and 
by  reason  of  the  admixture  of  dark  material  from  above,  such  pits  as  were  found 
in  the  lighter  soil  were  readily  distinguishable.  There  were,  however,  in  this 
lighter  material  below  the  dark  soil,  three  graves  which  had  not  been  sunk  through 
the  dark  layer,  but  lay  in  the  light  material  unmixed  with  dark  soil  from  above, 
and  evidently  had  been  buried  before  the  accretion  of  the  superficial  part  of 
the  elevation. 

A  thorough  examination  of  this  site  was  not  made,  only  two  really  deep 
trial-holes  having  been  put  down.  By  the  time  the  central  part  of  the  site,  a 
space  about  40  feet  in  diameter,  had  been  dug  through  to  a  depth  not  exceeding 
5  feet,  the  owner,  by  bringing  forward  a  claim  that  everything  found  should  be 
considered  his  property,  caused  us  to  terminate  the  investigation. 

In  much  of  the  central  portion  of  the  elevation  (no  burials  were  found  in 
the  trial-holes  sunk  in  the  outer  parts,  though  doubtless  some  were  there  and 
would  have  been  found  by  us  had  the  investigation  continued)  burials  had  been 
numerous,  grave  often  intersecting  grave  and  depriving  the  earlier  burial  of  some 
of  its  parts.  When  but  a  comparatively  small  proportion  of  the  skeleton  was 
missing,  enough  remaining  fully  to  indicate  the  form  of  burial,  the  interment 
was  included  in  our  list,  but  scattered  bones,  of  which  a  considerable  number 
was  found,  were  not  particularly  noted. 

The  condition  of  the  bones  at  this  place  probably  owing  to  the  presence  of 
so  much  shell,  which  seems  to  reinforce  skeletal  remains  by  the  addition  of  salts 
of  lime,  was  fairly  good;  two  skulls  were  preserved. 

In  all,  twenty-five  burials  were  encountered  Of  these,  fourteen  were  of 
adults,  two  of  adolescents,  nine  of  infants  or  of  older  children. 

Of  the  sixteen  adults  and  adolescents,  six  were  extended  on  the  back,  one 
was  closely  flexed  to  the  right,  three  were  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  one  was 
closely  flexed  to  the  left,  and  one  partly  flexed  to  the  left.  Two  were  bunched 
burials  of  single  skeletons  and  two  will  be  particularly  described. 

Of  the  twelve  burials  which  lay  with  the  skulls  directed  horizontally  in  various 
directions,  one  pointed  E.,  one  E.  by  S.,  two  ESE.,  three  SE.,  two  SE.  by  S., 
one  SSW.,  one  W.  by  N.,  one  WNW. 

Burial  No.  12  had  the  pelvis  and  the  feet  on  the  same  level,  the  trunk  up- 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX  TEXXESSEE  RIYEK.  237 

right,  the  knees  erect  but  somewhat  parted,  the  forearms  drawn  up  against  1  he- 
upper  arms,  which  were  in  contact  with  the  sides  of  the  body.  The  head  was 
forced  forward  and  down,  the  top  of  the  cranium  resting  on  the  ground  imme 
diately  in  front  of  the  pelvis.  The  burial,  of  course,  had  been  wrapped  in  this 
position,  which  made  for  great  economy  of  space. 

Burial  Xo.  19  much  resembled  the  preceding  as  to  arrangement,  with  the 
difference,  however,  that  the  forearms  were  crossed  on  the  pelvis  and  the  skull 
rested  on  them. 

About  3  feet  from  the  surface  and  immediately  on  a  fireplaces  though  the 
bones  showed  no  mark  of  heat,  was  the  skeleton  of  a  dog,  in  complete  order, 
the  identification  having  been  made  by  Dr.  F.  A.  Lucas,  who  writes,  "It  is  an 
example  of  the  characteristic,  short-faced  'bull  terrier'  breed  of  dogs  that  seems 
to  have  been  popular  in  our  south  and  southwest." 

The  remains  of  the  Indian  dog  as  found  in  the  shell-heaps  of  Maine  (and 
incidentally  in  some  shell-heaps  of  Xew  York  and  in  certain  aboriginal  ceme 
teries  of  Arkansas)  have  been  interestingly  described  by  Loomis  and  Young.1 
The  jaw  of  a  dog  found  by  us  in  a  Florida  shell-heap  is  described  by  the  late 
Prof.  E.  D.  Cope.2 

Artifacts  were  present  with  but  five  burials,  as  follows: 

Burial  Xo.  3,  a  child,  had  at  the  head  a  pot  with  loop-handles. 

Burial  Xo.  4  had  the  skull  resting  on  a  fragment  of  pottery.  At  the  left 
of  the  head  was  a  bottle  with  slender  neck  and  expanding  opening,  having  a 
trailed  decoration  on  the  body  made  up  of  partly  interlocked  scrolls  (Fig.  24), 
a  design  well  known  on  earthenware  beyond  the  Mississippi.  At  the  outer 
side  of  the  right  elbow  were  two  small  celts,  one  of  quartzite,  one  of  igneous 
rock,  and  a  somewhat  larger  one  of  shale,  rudely  fashioned,  at  the  outer  side  of 
the  right  thigh. 

Burial  Xo.  5,  a  child,  had  a  pot  with  loop-handles  lying  inverted  at  the  right 
side  of  the  skull,  and  a  good-sized  pot,  also  with  loop  handles  inverted  over 
the  feet. 

Burial  Xo.  9  had  at  the  head  part  of  a  coarse,  undecorated  bowl  in  which 
lay  a  large  mussclshell  (Symphynota  complanata]  and  an  undecorated  bottle 
with  globular  body  and  wide  mouth.  At  the  outer  side  of  the  left  knee  was  a 
large  pot  having  loop-handles,  upright,  containing  a  vessel  of  coarse  ware  but 
of  interesting  form.  Around  the  upper  part  of  the  body  are  two  encircling 
rows  of  knobs,  and  on  the  margin  of  the  opening  all  around  have  been  notches. 
From  the  level  of  the  opening,  on  two  opposite  sides,  have  been  extensions 
through  which  fluid  could  be  poured.  Part  of  one  of  these,  unfortunately,  was 
crushed  by  the  blow  of  a  spade  in  the  hands  of  one  of  our  diggers.  l'nder  each 
of  these  extensions  has  been  a  loop  handle,  both  of  which,  apparently,  have1  been 

1  V.  H.  Loomis  and  I).  H.  Young,  "On  the  Shell-heaps  of  Maine,"  American  Journal  of  Science, 
Vol.   XX. XIV,   July,    l!ir_>,   p.    17  H  .-n;,. 

2  "The   American    Naturalist,"  July,    ISM,    p.   (ill. 


238 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


broken  off  during  the  period  when  the  vessel  was  in  use;  a  hole  drilled  in  the 
extension  remaining  intact  indicates  that  the  broken  one  had  a  similar  perforation, 
the  two  holes  taking  the  place  of  the  handles.  This  vessel,  after  restoration 
of  the  broken  extension,  is  shown  in  Fig.  25. 


FIG.  24. — Bottle  of  earthenware.     Baugh's  Landing,  Ala.     (Height  9  inches.) 

A  number  of  vessels  of  this  class  (which  seems  to  be  found  principally  in  nor 
thern  Alabama),  though  varying  considerably  in  detail,  was  found  by  us,  all 
somewhat  broken,  though  restorations  have  been  made,  and  will  be  described 
and  figured  by  us  in  the  course  of  our  report  on  that  part  of  Tennessee  river 
which  flows  through  Alabama. 

Burial  No.  23,  adolescent,  had  at  the  neck  forty-nine  small,  discoidal  beads 
apparently  made  from  fresh-water  musselshells,  and  a  shell  pendant  fashioned 
from  the  columella  of  a  conch  (Busycon]  pointed  at  one  end,  blunt  at  the  other 
end  which  has  a  transverse  hole  for  suspension. 

The  pots  from  this  place,  coarse,  shell-tempered  ware,  were  nearly  all  badly 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  239 

broken  when  found.  The  bottle  we  have  figured  is  symmetrical  and  exhibits 
much  more  ambition  on  the  part  of  its  maker  than  any  we  encountered  to  this 
point  on  Tennessee  river,  except  possibly  the  one  found  by  us  in  the  mound 
at  Pittsburg  Ferry,  somewhat  farther  back.  The  bottle  from  Baugh's  Landing, 
however,  has  trailed  decoration  of  a  quality  better  than  any  seen  by  us  in  Ten 
nessee 


FIG.  25. — Vessel  of  earthenware  of  a  kind  found  principally  in  northern  Alabama.  With  Burial 
No.  9.  Baugh's  Landing,  Ala.  (Height  4.S  inches.) 

Mr.  Baugh,  the  owner,  had  an  earthenware  pipe  which  he  said  had  been 
plowed  up  on  the  site  under  description.  This  pipe,  which  was  examined  by 
members  of  our  party,  has  a  flat  base  projecting  somewhat  beyond  the  bowl. 
The  bowl  of  the  pipe  had  been  modeled  to  resemble  an  ordinary  bowl  in  use  for 
domestic  purposes,  having  four  loop-handles,  which,  however,  had  been  partly 
broken  off.  Around  the  body  of  the  bowl  are  knobs  similar  to  those  shown  by 
us  on  the  vessel  from  this  place. 

MOUNDS    NEAR   RlVERTON,    COLBERT    COUNTY,    ALABAMA. 

In  a  cultivated  field  belonging  to  Messrs.  Buchanan  and  Sloan,  of  Riverton, 
Ala.,  about  200  yards  SE.  from  the  government  building  at  the  entrance  to 
Colbert  Shoal  canal,  is  a  mound  which  at  the  time  of  our  visit  was  f>  feet  (5  inches 
in  height  and  about  100  feet  in  diameter.  This  mound,  a  mixture  of  sand  and 


240  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

clay,  probably  had  been  quadrangular,  with  a  flat  top,  but  had  been  plowed 
over  so  continuously  that  it  no  longer  possessed  a  definite  outline. 

Two  large  trial-holes  reached  the  base  of  the  mound  at  respective  depths 
of  6  feet  9  inches  and  6  feet,  the  latter  hole  being  on  the  slope.  These  holes 
and  others,  sunk  on  the  sides  of  the  mound,  encountered  no  burials  or  artifacts. 

The  field  surrounding  the  mound  is  covered  with  quantities  of  pebbles, 
broken  and  whole,  and  many  chips  and  fragments,  all  of  flint.  Among  these 
were  some  broken  points  but  whole  ones  were  rare.  No  shells  and  but  little 
pottery  were  apparent.  This  dwelling-site  presumably  had  grown  up  around 
the  mound  to  some  extent,  which  accounts  for  the  discrepancy  in  height  as  taken 
from  the  outside  and  from  the  inside  of  the  mound. 

In  the  same  field,  about  one-half  mile  SW.  from  the  other,  is  a  remnant  of  a 
mound,  about  4  feet  in  height  and  35  feet  in  diameter.  The  presence  of  a  large 
stump  on  top  of  this  elevation  presumably  has  kept  it  from  being  plowed  away. 

A  thorough  examination  accorded  this  remnant  failed  to  discover  bones, 
but  came  upon  one  arrowhead  or  knife,  of  flint,  and  three  masses  of  galena 
(lead  sulphide)  placed  together.  The  largest  of  these,  which  had  been  rubbed 
down  to  a  discoidal  form,  was  2  inches  in  diameter  and  one  inch  in  thickness. 
The  deposit  of  lead  carbonate  on  these  masses,  which,  being  white  lead  as  we 
have  stated,  the  aborigines  sometimes  used  as  paint,  was  thicker  and  whiter 
than  we  have  noted  before  on  galena  found  by  us,  and  would,  with  the  addition 
of  bear's  grease,  make  a  perfectly  white  paint. 

DWELLING-SITES  NEAR  COLBERT  CREEK,  COLBERT  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

All  on  property  owned  or  controlled  by  Mr.  William  Rutland,  of  Cherokee, 
Ala.,  are  three  dwelling-sites  visible  from  the  river. 

One,  about  one  mile  below  the  mouth  of  Colbert  creek,  was  dug  into  by  us 
to  some  extent,  but  was  found  to  be  so  solid  a  mass  of  crushed  shell  and  soil, 
and  digging  progressed  so  slowly,  that  it  became  evident  a  very  long  time  would 
be  required  to  investigate  the  site,  so  work  on  it  was  discontinued. 

The  next  site  in  order  going  upstream,  on  the  north  side  of  the  creek,  at  its 
mouth,  was  made  up  of  material  similar  to  that  found  in  the  other  site,  and 
its  investigation  was  abandoned  for  the  same  reason.  The  skeleton  of  an  adoles 
cent  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head  N.,  was  encountered  13  inches  below  the 
surface.  At  the  outer  side  of  the  left  elbow  was  a  small  bowl  having  loop-handles. 

Immediately  across  the  creek  is  another  dwelling-site,  much  smaller  than  is 
either  of  the  other  two.  At  one  side  of  this  site  is  a  small  elevation,  probably 
intentionally  made  as  a  place  of  burial,  as  its  material,  dark  alluvial  soil,  had 
no  admixture  of  midden  debris. 

Four  large  trial-holes  sunk  into  this  elevation,  which  proved  to  be  only  a 
remnant  of  a  mound,  came,  in  one  instance,  at  a  depth  of  15  inches,  on  the  skele 
ton  of  an  adult,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head  SE.  Above  the  left  elbow 
was  half  of  a  bowl,  and  a  bottle  with  wide  mouth  having  had  a  most  unusual 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX  TKXXKSSKK  KIYFR. 


241 


feature  for  a  bottle,  namely,  a  loop-handle  at  two  opposite  sides  immediately 
below  the  opening,  one  of  which,  however,  had  been  broken  off  and  lost  prior 
to  the  inhumation  of  the  vessel.  This  bottle,  with  the  missing  handle  restored, 
is  shown  in  Fig.  2(>. 


Fie-  2C>. — Botllo  of  earthenware.     Colbert  Creek,  Ala.      (Height  <i.f>  inches.) 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  JOHNSON  PLACE,  LAUDERDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

About  one-quarter  mile  back  from  the  landing,  at  the  Johnson  Place,  be 
longing  to  Mr.  John  Beckwith,  of  Florence,  Ala.,  are  two  line-looking  mounds 
ne;ir  together,  one  about,  10  feet  in  height,  the  other  7  feet  approximately. 
Permission  refused 

1)WKLL I  NO-SITES    OX    KoGEIl's   ISLAND,    LAUDERDALE    CoUXTY,    ALABAMA. 

Roger's  Island,  controlled  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Reeder,  of  Smithsonia,  Ala.,  has 
about  midway  on  its  western  side  a  landing  at  wrhich  is  the  only  settlement  on 
the  island.  Immediately  back  of  this  settlement  is  some  cultivated  ground, 

21   .TOrHX.   A.   N.   S.    PIIII.A.,   VOL.    XVI. 


242 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


ending  in  a  slope,  and  on  this  slope  in  years  past,  all  within  a  comparatively 
restricted  area,  have  been  plowed  up,  according  to  the  statements  of  those 
living  in  the  settlement,  a  considerable  number  of  vessels  of  soapstone,  some 
whole,  some  shattered  by  the  plow.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  numerous  frag 
ments  of  these  vessels  lay  over  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  part  of  a  pailful 
of  other  fragments  were  shown  us  by  a  person  living  nearby.  The  flat  base  of  a 
soapstone  vessel  which  must  have  been  of  interesting  shape,  is  in  the  possession 
of  Mr.  Reeder,  at  Smithsonia.  We  were  informed  that  none  of  the  vessels  had 
been  found  for  several  years,  and  our  investigation  of  the  place  where  the  vessels 
had  been  convinced  us  that  the  upper  soil  which  had  contained  them  had  been 


Fiii.  27. — Trowel  of  earthenware.     Roger's  Island,  Ala.     (Full  size.) 

removed  by  cultivation  and  by  wash  of  rain.  However,  we  succeeded  in  ob 
taining  one,  though  not  by  excavation,  the  lugs  at  each  side  being  an  interesting 
though  not  an  uncommon  feature. 

Near  the  upper  end  of  the  island  is  a  large  field  covered  with  fragments  of 
flint  and  of  coarse,  shell-tempered  pottery,  some  bearing  a  check-stamp  decora 
tion  conferred,  as  we  know,  with  a  paddle.  Here  and  there  lay  fragments  of 
human  bones.  From  the  surface  we  obtained  a  number  of  rough  implements 
of  moderate  size,  and  some  arrowheads  of  flint,  also  a  heavy  object  of  earthen 
ware,  shown  after  partial  restoration  in  Fig.  27,  which,  though  differing  somewhat 
from  those  figured  by  Thruston,1  probably  was  a  trowel  used  for  smoothing 
earthenware  vessels. 

1  Op.  cit.,  p.  162. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  243 

This  site  was  made  up  of  dark  midden  soil  to  a  depth  of  about  18  inches, 
when  a  mixture  of  soil  and  shell,  the  shell  predominating,  was  encountered. 
Considerable  digging  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  skeletons  of  two  young  children, 
both  in  the  upper  soil.  A  knoll  at  one  side  of  the  field  was  carefully  investigated 
without  success. 

We  obtained  from  an  inhabitant  of  this  place  an  oblong  gorget  of  igneous 
rock,  having  two  perforations,  5.75  inches  in  length  and  2.25  inches  in  maximum 
width.  We  were  informed  by  the  colored  man  who  had  plowed  the  large  field 
for  a  long  period  back,  that  ten  years  ago  gorgets  of  this  class  were  frequently 
found  there,  and  we,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  came  across  fragments  of  two  of 
them  on  the  surface. 

A  woman  resident  in  the  settlement  showed  us  a  drinking-eup  wrought 
from  a  conchshell,  which  she  had  found  and  which  was  interesting  in  that  it 
had  a  circular  hole  in  the  base,  not  broken  through  but  evidently  cut  out  with 
much  care,  thus  clearly  demonstrating  that  the  ''killing"  of  a  vessel  for  inter 
ment  with  the  dead  had  taken  place  as  far  north  as  northern  Alabama. 

A  spade  of  shale,  17  inches  in  length  and  about  5  inches  wide,  was  picked 
up  from  the  surface  by  a  member  of  our  party  in  another  part  of  the  island. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  PERKINS  SPRING,  LAUDERDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 
Leaving  the  main  landing,  which  is  on  the  western  side  of  Roger's  Island, 
and  following  a  road  leading  across  the  island,  one  comes,  after  about  one  mile's 
walk,  to  a  waterway  almost  dry  when  the  river  is  low.  Crossing  this,  one  is 
but  a  short  distance  from  Perkins  Spring,  on  property  be  onging  to  Mr.  J.  T. 
Rceder,  of  Smithsonia,  Ala.,  to  whom  the  Academy  is  indebted  for  many  cour 
tesies. 

MOUND  A. 

In  a  very  large,  cultivated  field  covered  with  fragments  of  stone,  evidently 
an  aboriginal  dwelling-site  in  the  past,  is  a  mound  about  200  yards  NNE.  from 
Perkins  Spring.  This  mound  is  7  feet  8  inches  in  height,  outside  measurement, 
and  62  feet  by  55  feet  in  diameters  of  base.  The  mound,  which  had  every  ap 
pearance  of  having  been  erected  for  burial  purposes,  apparently  had  never  been 
under  cultivation,  nor  was  any  previous  digging  in  evidence. 

In  its  central  part  an  excavation  16  feet  square  was  put  down,  and  eight 
trial-holes  to  be  described  later  were  sunk  around  it. 

The  mound  was  of  brown,  loamy  material  in  the  upper  part,  below  which 
was  black,  midden  soil  containing  small  fragments  of  stone  and  other  dwelling- 
site  debris.  Below  this,  over  part  of  the  base  of  the  mound,  was  raw,  yellow 
clay  which  had  been  dug  from  underlying  clay  in  making  a  large  grave  that  had 
been  filled  in  part  by  the  return  of  some  of  the  yellow  clay  and  by  black,  midden 
soil  of  the  kind  found  in  part  of  the  mound. 

The  base  of  the  mound  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  6  feet  0  inches,  and  was 
marked  by  the  presence  of  a  black  deposit,  9  inches  in  depth,  which  formed 


IMC..  2s.     Agricultural  implement  of  shale,  having  double  cuitin^ 
(Full    size.) 


e.     Perkins  Spring,  Ala. 


'  AGA'D.'  NAT.  SCI.  PHILA  ,  2ND  SER.,  VOL.  XVI 


PLATE  V 


1.  MOUND  MiAK    PFRKINS  SPRING.  REEL-SHAPED  OKNAMEN'I'  OK  C'OI'I'KK.     (FULL  siziO 

2.  MOTM)  ON  THI-;  SL.UCiHTKK    PLACK,  RKKL-SHAI'KD  ( )RN  AM  KNT  OF  COI'I'KK.     (FULL  SIZE) 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  245 

the  original  thickness  of  the  dwelling-site  and  rested  upon  the  yellow,  undis 
turbed  clay.  Around  the  mound  all  this  midden  soil  had  been  washed  away 
by  rain  after  cultivation,  thus  rendering  the  mound  higher  than  it  originally 
had  been. 

The  following  burials  were  encountered  in  the  main  excavation. 

Burial  No.  1.  About  one  foot  down  was  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back, 
badly  decayed,  having  at  the  left  side  of  the  skull  a  small  bowl  of  a  size  usually 
found  with  burials  of  children,  having  had  four  rude  handles,  one  of  which  is 
missing,  and  a  double  row  of  indentations  below  the  opening.  Near  the  bowl 
was  a  small  knife  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  2,  two  feet  from  the  surface,  was  the  remainder  of  a  skeleton 
consisting  of  traces  of  the  skull  and  of  the  thigh-bones,  which  were  at  a  distance 
from  the  skull  such  as  to  indicate  that  the  skeleton  had  been  extended  and  that 
intervening  parts  of  it  had  decayed  away.  Along  the  space  where  the  trunk 
had  been  was  a  layer  of  pure  clay  about  2  inches  thick.  About  2  feet  from  the 
shoulder  was  a  double-bladed,  agricultural  implement  of  shale,  1 1  inches  long 
and  4.3  inches  wide  (Fig.  28),  possibly  having  belonged  to  another  burial  which 
had  entirely  gone. 

Burial  No.  3,  remains  of  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back  at  a  depth  of  5  feet 
3  inches,  the  skull  resting  in  a  drinking-cup  wrought  from  a  conchshell  (Busycon). 
At  the  left  of  the  skull  was  a  small  deposit  of  clay  about  f>  inches  in  diameter. 
On  the  thorax  lay  a  mass  of  galena  (lead  sulphide)  about  ten  pounds  in  weight, 
under  which  were  a  few  discoidal  shell  beads,  badly  decayed. 

Burial  No.  4  also  was  extended  on  the  back,  at  the  same  depth  as  the  pre 
ceding  burial.  On  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax  rested  a  mass  of  galena,  2.5 
inches  by  2  inches  by  1  inch  thick,  flat  and  showing  considerable  grinding,  as 
did  nearly  all  the  galena  found  in  this  mound.  At  the  feet  of  the  burial  was  a 
small  mass  of  pure  clay. 

Burial  No.  5,  not  far  from  the  center  of  the  base,  was  a  grave,  oblong,  7.5 
feet  in  length  and  2.5  feet  wide,  extending  through  the  midden  soil  below  the 
base  and  entering  the  undisturbed,  yellow  clay  to  a  depth  of  about  2  inches. 

In  this  grave  lay  a  skeleton,  extended  on  the  back,  having,  at  each  side  of 
the  head,  a  well-preserved,  spool-shaped  ear-ornament  of  copper.  On  the 
upper  part  of  the  pelvis  was  a  reel-shaped,  ceremonial  ornament  of  copper  (Plate 
V,  Fig.  1),  the  longer  axis  of  the  body  of  the  ornament  with  its  two  perforations 
lengthwise1,  corresponding  in  direction  to  that  of  the  skeleton.  At  the  foot  of 
the  grave  was  a  mass  of  pure  clay. 

The  reel-shaped,  ceremonial  ornament  of  copper,  to  our  knowledge,  has 
been  but  once  previously  described.  Thruston1  figures  one  of  these  objects 
and  speaks  of  it  as  probably  used  as  a  pendant  or  breast  ornament.  It  was 
found,  he  says,  in  a  mound  in  Marshall  County,  Tenn.  (This  county  is  about 
south  from  Nashville,  midway  between  the  Cumberland  and  Tennessee  rivers.) 

'hiic    XV  \,   p.   ::52j. 


24(5  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

To  Prof.  W.  K.  Moorehead  we  arc  indebted  for  the  information  that  one  of 
these  ceremonials  from  a  mound  at  Newark,  Ohio,  is  in  the  collection  of  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  Mass.  In  a  note  accompanying  a  tracing  of  this  ornament, 
written  some  time  ago  by  Mr.  R.  S.  Peabody,  we  are  told,  "Objects  of  this  form 
are  very  unusual  in  stone  and  only  one  or  two  of  copper  are  in  the  museums." 

Evidently  this  class  of  ceremonial  ornament  hitherto  has  been  but  little 
known,  presumably  because  its  vogue  was  principally  among  the  aborigines 
of  northern  Alabama,  where  there  has  been  so  little  archaeological  research. 

We  have  examined  the  handsome,  reel-shaped  ceremonial  of  copper  in  the 
small  but  interesting  collection  of  the  University  of  Alabama,  at  University, 
Ala.,  near  Tuscaloosa,  which,  owing  to  its  size  and  the  graceful,  terminal  expan 
sion  of  the  arms,  is  the  most  striking  example  of  this  class  of  objects  of  which  we 
have  knowledge  (and  we  obtained  nineteen  of  them  in  varying  degrees  of  com 
pleteness  from  mounds  along  Tennessee  river  in  Alabama).  We  are  under 
obligation  to  Prof.  Eugene  A.  Smith,  State  Geologist  of  Alabama  and  member 
of  the  faculty  of  the  University,  for  full  details  as  to  this  ceremonial,  which  is 
nearly  6.5  inches  by  8.5  inches,  over  all,  and  about  .1  inch  in  thickness.  It 
came  from  near  the  Coosa  river  in  Coosa  county,  Ala.,  some  distance  south 
from  where  most  of  our  objects  of  this  kind  were  obtained. 

We  were  not  able  to  decide  positively  on  what  part  of  the  body  these  cere 
monials  were  worn,  as  we  found  them  both  on  the  chest  and  on  the  pelvis  of 
skeletons,  and  having  the  perforations  sometimes  in  line  with  the  burial  and 
sometimes  transverse  to  the  skeleton.  Usually,  however,  when  determination 
was  possible  (and  frequently  it  was  not),  the  ornament  lay  on  the  chest,  and 
the  two  perforations  were  across  and  not  in  line  with  the  trunk.  Several  of  our 
specimens,  wrought  from  unusually  thick  material,  are  without  perforations. 

Now  to  return  to  the  burials. 

Burial  No.  6,  lying  about  midway  on  the  base  of  the  large  grave  which  we 
have  referred  to  at  the  beginning  of  the  account  of  this  mound,  was  what  was 
left  of  a  skeleton,  extended  face  down. 

The  grave,  one  side  of  which  almost  passed  through  the  center  of  the  base 
of  the  mound,  was  9  feet  8  inches  in  length  and  4  feet  4  inches  in  width.  The 
depth  of  the  grave  from  the  top  of  the  mound  was  9  feet  8  inches.  It  extended 
through  9  inches  of  the  midden  soil  already  described  and  entered  the  undis 
turbed,  yellow  clay  to  a  depth  of  2  feet  5  inches. 

Alongside  the  burial  was  a  mass  of  pure  gray  clay,  8  feet  long  and  13  inches 
wide,  increasing  to  16  inches  at  the  feet.  Its  thickness  was  about  5  inches 
down  to  the  feet,  which  rested  upon  it.  Beyond  them  it  increased  in  thickness 
about  2  inches  and  contained  masses  of  pure  red  clay.  This  clay  deposit  did 
not  rest  against  the  side  of  the  grave,  but  lay  10  inches  from  the  head  wall  and 
9  inches  from  the  wall  of  the  adjacent  side.  Its  distance  from  the  foot  of  the 
grave  about  corresponded  with  that  of  the  head. 

At  the  right  shoulder  was  a  mass  of  galena,  about  five  pounds  in  weight. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  247 

Under  the  lower  dorsal  vertebne  was  a  copper  celt,  4  inches  long  by  about  2 
inches  in  maximum  width.  The  preservative  properties  of  the  copper  carbonate 
on  this  celt  were  the  only  means  we  had  to  determine  that  the  skeleton  had  been 
placed  in  a  prone  position,  as  several  of  the  vertebrae  indicating  this  fact  had 
been  kept  in  fairly  good  condition  by  the  copper  salt,  the  rest  of  the  burial  being 
represented  merely  by  traces. 

At  the  knees  was  a  mass  of  galena,  weighing  ten  pounds,  and  at  the  ankles, 
resting  on  the  clay,  was  another  mass  weighing  about  six  pounds. 

Burial  No.  7,  in  the  same  grave  as  was  Burial  No.  6,  was  the  skeleton  of  a 
child  lying  in  a  direction  like  that  of  the  adult.  If  the  child's  skeleton  lay  on 
its  back,  which  its  condition  did  not  permit  us  to  determine,  then  the  skeleton 
had  a  side  of  the  grave  at  its  left  and  the  adult  burial  at  its  right,  the  mass  of 
clay  described  lying  on  the  other  side  of  the  burial  of  the  adult.  Near  the  skull 
of  the  child,  probably  at  the  neck,  was  a  spherical  bead  of  solid  copper,  flattened 
at  the  poles,  one  inch  in  diameter. 

Apart  from  any  burial,  in  the  main  excavation  in  the  mound,  was  a  small 
mass  of  lead  sulphide. 

We  now  take  up  details  of  the  eight  trial-holes  before  referred  to,  which, 
3  feet  by  6  feet  each,  were  put  down  around  the  main  excavation  in  the  hope 
of  coming  upon  additional  graves.  These  holes  were  greatly  increased  in  all 
directions  when  the  base  of  the  mound  was  reached,  so  that  most  of  it  may  be 
considered  to  have  been  investigated.  The  result  was  as  follows: 

Burial  No.  8,  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  lay  at  a  depth  of  4  feet  9 
inches,  not  far  from  the  base,  as  the  mound  sloped  considerably  above  where 
the  burial  had  been  made.  This  interment  was  not  in  a  pit,  but  had  been  placed 
in  the  mound  during  its  construction,  as  the  soil  above  and  around  it  showed 
no  mingling  of  material  other  than  that  of  the  mound. 

Above  this  skeleton  had  been  placed  an  arrangement  of  slabs,  some  of  lime 
stone,  some  of  claystone,  certain  ones,  especially  those  at  the  ends,  being  thin 
and  of  considerable  size.  The  arrangement,  8  feet  long  by  1  foot  10  inches  in 
width,  in  the  main  consisted  of  two  layers,  but  in  one  place,  at  least,  there 
were  three  thicknesses  of  slabs.  Below  the  lower  extremities  of  the  skeleton, 
the  grave  had  sunk,  the  stones  above  sinking  with  it,  and  had  become  somewhat 
disarranged.  The  reason  for  this  became  apparent  when  it  was  found  that 
another  grave  lay  under  the  lower  part  of  Burial  No.  8  and  that  in  settling  it 
had  caused  that  part  and  likewise  the  slabs  above,  to  sink  also. 

The  only  thing  found  with  the  burial  was  a  mass  of  pure  clay  at  the  feet. 
It  was  evident  that  the  makers  of  this  grave  had,  as  generally  seems  to  have 
been  the  case  with  stone  graves,  fulfilled  most  of  their  duties  when  they  had 
arranged  the  slabs. 

At  a  depth  of  40  inches,  in  soil  darker  than  the  material  of  which  this  part 
of  the  mound  was  composed,  the  deeper  shade  probably  being  the  result  of  decay 
of  human  remains,  was  a  reel-shaped  ornament  of  sheet-copper,  parts  of  which 
had  disintegrated. 


248  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

Six  feet  down,  below  the  slope,  was  a  grave  3  feet  7  inches  long  by  17  inches 
wide,  made  through  the  midden  deposit  and  extending  one  foot  into  the  undis 
turbed,  underlying  clay.  Absolutely  nothing  was  found  in  this  grave,  which 
undoubtedly  had  been  that  of  a  child,  possibly  an  infant. 

Immediately  on  the  yellow  or  underlying  clay,  5  feet  10  inches  deep  at  this 
part  of  the  mound,  was  a  layer  of  red  clay,  30  inches  long  by  1  foot  in  width  and 
2  inches  thick,  which  probably  marked  a  grave  that  had  been  put  down  through 
the  midden  soil  above.  Under  the  deposit  of  clay  was  a  small  amount  of  dark 
material,  possibly  the  remains  of  a  burial,  and  four  small,  copper  beads. 

Eight  feet  seven  inches  deep,  extending  2  feet  into  the  undisturbed  yellow 
clay,  was  a  grave  9  feet  long  and  28  inches  wide,  in  which  the  skeleton  that 
undoubtedly  had  occupied  it  had  entirely  disappeared  through  decay.  On 
the  base  of  the  grave  was  a  mass  of  lead  sulphide  larger  than  a  man's  fist,  and 
at  one  end  was  a  mass  of  clay. 

MOUND  B. 

Mound  B  (from  which  Mound  C  was  but  a  few  yards  distant)  is  in  the 
same  great  site  as  Mound  A  and  also  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Reeder,  and  is 
about  one-half  mile  SE.  by  S.  from  Mound  A.  The  mound,  which  has  been 
cultivated  over  for  a  long  period  and  largely  plowed  down  had,  at  the  time  of 
our  visit,  a  height  of  3.5  feet  and  diameters  of  60  feet  and  50  feet,  but  as  the 
material  plowed  from  the  mound  had  been  spread  around  it,  its  height,  taken 
from  the  outside,  was  considerably  less  than  the  distance  from  the  summit 
to  the  interior  base,  while,  no  doubt,  the  diameters  of  the  mound  were  much 
less  before  it  was  plowed  over  than  at  present. 

A  hole  16  feet  square  was  sunk  in  the  central  part  of  this  mound.  Two  and 
2.5  feet  down,  respectively,  were  eighteen  masses  of  galena  and  twelve  masses 
of  the  same  material,  mostly  small. 

At  a  depth  of  slightly  more  than  3  feet  had  been  a  burial,  though  no  trace 
of  bones  remained.  This  burial,  which  was  not  in  a  grave  dug  for  it,  but  lay 
in  the  body  of  the  mound  surrounded  by  the  material  of  which  the  mound  was 
composed,  had  been  covered  by  a  layer  of  pure  clay,  nearly  5  feet  long  and  from 
18  to  22  inches  in  width.  This  layer,  2  inches  thick  as  a  rule,  increased  to  7.5 
inches  in  thickness  at  one  end.  On  the  bottom  of  the  grave,  surrounded  by  the 
clay,  was  a  mass  of  galena  3  inches  by  2.5  inches  by  2.5  inches,  smoothed  in 
places  by  rubbing. 

Four  feet  down  were  traces  of  a  skull  which  may  have  been  interred  alone, 
though  it  is  possible  that  the  remainder  of  the  skeleton,  badly  decayed,  had  been 
dug  away  unnoticed  by  our  men,  since  the  remains  did  not  lie  in  a  grave,  which 
would  serve  as  a  guide  to  those  digging,  but  lay  in  the  material  composing  the 
mound,  without  mixture. 

Having  its  southeastern  corner  but  a  short  distance  from  what  we  considered 
to  be  the  center  of  the  base,  was  a  grave  10  feet  5  inches  long  and  about  5  feet 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  249 

in  width,  its  base  about  7  feet  from  the  top  of  the  mound,  and  extending  2  feet 
into  undisturbed,  underlying  clay,  its  long  axis  in  an  E.  by  N.  arid  W.  by  S. 
direction. 

On  the  base  of  this  grave  presumably  had  been  a  burial  or  burials  which  had 
been  covered  in  the  main  by  a  layer  of  pure  clay  and  one  of  sand,  the  sand  below 
the  clay.  These  layers  began  19  inches  from  the  eastern  end  of  the  grave,  and 
outside  them  were  the  remains  of  a  skull  on  the  base  of  the  grave,  the  only  human 
remains  found  in  it.  The  layer  of  clay,  which  had  been  symmetrically  placed 
in  the  grave,  with  a  view  to  the  distance  between  its  sides  and  its  ends  and  those 
of  the  grave,  had  a  length  of  6  feet  9  inches  and  a  width  of  2  feet  7  inches.  Its 
maximum  thickness  was  5.5  inches. 

The  layer  of  sand  immediately  below  the  clay  apparently  began  with  the 
clay  at  the  eastern  end  and  continued  to  the  western  end  of  the  clay,  having  a 
maximum  thickness  midway  of  about  one  inch. 

Near  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  clay  layer  and  surrounded  by  it  was  a 
mass  of  galena,  smooth  in  places,  about  the  size  of  a  cocoanut,  but  of  irregular 
outline,  which  must  weigh  more  than  twenty  pounds.  On  the  clay,  in  it  and 
especially  under  it,  where  they  were  numerous,  were  small  masses  of  galena, 
sometimes  several  together. 

MOUND  C. 

Mound  (',  under  cultivation  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  is  said  to  have  been 
dug  into  considerably  in  the  past,  though  but  little  sign  of  such  digging  was 
encountered  Its  height  was  2.5  feet;  its  diameter,  45  feet.  From  the  top  to 
the  base,  however,  was  almost  4  feet.  An  excavation  10  feet  square  was  put 
down,  which  later  was  much  enlarged. 

About  15  inches  down  parts  of  a  skull  were  found,  near  a  previous  digging. 

A  grave  9.5  feet  long  by  1  foot  8  inches  in  width,  extending  1  foot  into  under 
lying  clay,  radiated  from  the  center  of  the  base  NE.  and  SW.,  the  southern 
end  being  nearest  to  it. 

Burial  No.  1.  On  the  bottom  of  this  grave,  the  head  at  the  SW.  end,  was 
a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back. 

Burial  No.  2.  Having  its  feet  resting  on  the  pelvis  of  Burial  No.  1  was 
another  extended  skeleton,  without  a  skull,  lying  in  a  reverse  direction. 

At  each  side  of  the  extremities  of  these  two  burials  was  a  lower  extremity 
of  an  adult  skeleton,  the  feet  directed  NE.,  the  knees  of  the  two  skeletons  and 
of  the  partial  burial  being  all  together  and  having  on  them  a  skull  (probably 
that  belonging  to  Burial  No.  2)  and  below  them  a  shell  drinking-cup  in  fragments. 

A  layer  of  clay  covered  the  skeletons  with  the  exception  of  the  lower  part 
of  one  femur,  which  protruded,  and  overlay  the  entire  base  of  the  grave  with 
the  exception  of  the  terminal  9  inches  at  the  NE.  end.  This  layer  was  about 
4  inches  thick,  increasing  to  about  5.5  inches  at  the  NE.  extremity. 

Burial  No.  3.     Beginning  a  short  distance  from  the  center  of  the  base,  its 

22  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


250 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


southern  end  nearest  to  it,  was  a  grave  running  SSE.  and  NNW.,  and  about 
at  right  angles  from  the  long  axis  of  the  other  grave. 

The  grave  under  description,  9  feet  9  inches  long,  2  feet  9  inches  wide  at  the 
southern,  or  head,  end,  broadening  somewhat  toward  the  feet,  extended  2  feet 
into  otherwise  undisturbed  clay.  On  the  base  of  the  grave  was  a  skeleton  ex 
tended  on  the  back,  the  skull  19  inches  from  the  end  of  the  grave,  having  the 
front  teeth,  the  chin,  and  cervical  vertebrae  dyed  light  green  and  olive  green 
variously  by  carbonate  of  copper  from  thirty-six  beads  of  sheet-copper,  some 
tubular,  some  barrel-shaped,  all  comparatively  small  except  one  which  is  about 
1.25  inch  in  length.  Over  the  skull  was  a  shell  drinking-cup  in  fragments, 
also  much  decayed,  and  another  shell  cup  and  a  mass  of  clay  were  about  6  inches 
distant.  On  the  thorax  was  a  mass  of  galena  about  the  size  of  a  child's  fist, 
and  on  the  trunk,  above  the  pelvis,  another  mass  somewhat  larger.  At  the 
foot  end  of  the  grave  was  a  mass  of  clay. 

A  careful  search  over  the  great  site,  including  many  fields  making  up  this 
property,  resulted  in  a  considerable  collection  of  lanceheads,  arrowheads,  and 
knives  of  flint.  No  triangular  arrowheads  were  found,  nor  was  a  single  frag 
ment  of  pottery  picked  up  on  the  surface  or  discovered  in  the  mounds,  though 
it  was  present  on  nearby  Roger's  Island. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  CANE  CREEK,  COLBERT  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Cane  creek  and  extending  down  along  the  bank  of 
Tennessee  river,  on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  R.  M.  Garner,  who  resides  about 

a  mile  back  in  the  hills,  is  a  dwell 
ing-site  where  a  small  amount  of 
work  was  done  by  us,  resulting  in 
the  conviction  on  our  part  that 
burials  in  the  site  must  be  widely 
separated.  One  skeleton  was  found, 
however,  with  no  artifacts  in  asso 
ciation,  which  proved  to  be  of  in 
terest  as  presenting  an  unusual 
form  of  burial.  The  body  had 
been  bent  and  flattened,  the  head 
resting  upon  the  pelvis,  the  right 


FIG.  29. — Burial  near  mouth  of  Cane  Creek,  Ala. 
The  trunk  and  the  extremities  are  in  the  same  plane. 


humerus  was  parallel  to  the  side  of 
the  body,  the  forearm  being  closely 
flexed  upon  it,  the  left  humerus 

was  extended,  the  elbow  being  beyond  the  head,  the  forearm  flexed,  with  the 
hand  under  the  head.  The  femora  were  in  the  same  plane  as  the  rest  of  the 
skeleton,  but  widely  separated,  the  legs  closely  flexed  against  them,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  29. 

To  one  looking  down  into  the  grave,  the  burial,  flattened  out  on  one  plane, 
with  its  various  projections,  presented  a  curious  appearance. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  251 

MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITES  ON  SEVEN  MILE  ISLAND,  LAUDERDALE 

COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

Seven  Mile  Island,  whose  length  is  nearly  that  implied  by  its  name,  abreast 
of  the  town  of  Sheffield,  Ala.,  as  to  its  upper  extremity,  belongs  to  Mr.  F.  M. 
Perry,  of  Florence,  Ala.,  who  kindly  placed  it  at  our  disposal  for  investigation. 

About  one-half  mile  from  the  lower  end  of  the  island  is  a  small  dwelling-site 
in  a  cultivated  field,  distinguished  by  much  darker  soil  than  that  of  the  rest  of 
the  field,  and  having  a  few  shells  and  fragments  of  flint  on  the  surface.  Burials 
probably  had  been  made  in  this  site,  and  in  fact  a  single  human  tibia  was  un 
earthed,  but  an  investigation  that  was  far  from  exhaustive,  however,  shells 
closely  packed  retarding  the  work,  failed  to  find  any. 

About  2.5  miles  from  the  head  of  the  island,  near  its  northern  side,  is  a  mound 
having  little  shape  at  present  but  seemingly  one  of  the  domiciliary  class,  11 
feet  in  height,  the  base  being  about  110  feet  square.  The  mound  is  completely 
covered  by  a  large  barn  and  its  adjuncts. 

A  few  yards  NE.  from  this  mound,  which  stands  in  a  cultivated  field,  is  a 
slight  rise  having  no  shells  on  the  surface  or  interiorly.  A  few  fragments  of 
flint,  however,  lay  upon  the  ground. 

Fifteen  trial-holes  which  reached  undisturbed  clay  at  a  depth  of  from  2  to 
3  feet,  variously,  came  upon  two  burials,  one  of  which,  about  10  inches  down, 
badly  decayed,  evidently  had  been  at  full  length. 

The  other  burial,  at  a  depth  of  2.5  feet,  had  but  little  left.      Near  a  few  frag 
ments  of  bone  were  several  arrowheads,  and  in  the  soil  which  had  been  thrown 
out  were  others,  all  presumably  having  been  in  a  deposit  with 
a  burial,  with  which  also  had  been  a  mass  of  pure  clay  about 
the  size  of  a  woman's  fist. 

These  arrowpoints,  twenty  in  all,  delicately  made,  all  trian 
gular,  except  one  which,  differing  in  shape  from  the  others,  is 
shown  in  Fig.  30,  ranging  between  1.1  inch  and  1.7  inch  in 
length,  are  of  flint  variously  pink,  light  brown,  gray,  red. 

About  one-half  mile  from  the  head  of  the  island  is  a  small         d°'f  fl'       s'° 
dwelling-site  distinguished  by  a  slight  rise  above  the  general     ^Iile    island,    Ala. 
level  and  by  the  presence  of  scattered  shells  on  the  surface.     (Full  size.) 
On  this  rise  was  a  number  of  frame  structures  covering  much 
of  it.     Some  digging  where  space  could  be  found  reached  a  skull  at  a  depth  of  10 
inches  and  a  skeleton  of  a  child  somewhat  deeper.     A  number  of  rude  knive  s  of 
flint  were  found  in  the  soil  apart  from  burials. 

MOUND  NEAR  FLORENCE,  LAUDERDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

The  town  of  Florence  is  about  one  mile  from  the  river.  A  short  distance 
from  the  landing  and  beside  the  road  leading  to  town  is  a  mound  in  a  cultivated 
field  belonging  to  Mr.  George  P.  Jones,  of  Florence.  This  mound,  the  largest 


252 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


on  Tennessee  river,  as  we  have  stated  elsewhere,  42  feet  in  height,  quadrilateral 
with  a  flat  top,  is  not  rectangular,  one  end  being  longer  than  the  other.  Neither 
sides  nor  corners  are  directed  in  a  significant  manner.  The  mound,  the  sides 
of  which  are  so  steep  that  they  are  ascended  with  difficulty,  apparently 
has  had  at  the  eastern  side  a  causeway,  now  almost  worn  away.  The  basal 
diameters  of  the  mound  are  310  feet  NE.  by  E.  to  SW.  by  W.,  and  230  feet 
SE.  by  S.  to  NW.  by  N.  The  diameters  of  the  summit-plateau  in  the  same 
directions,  respectively,  are  145  feet  and  94  feet.  The  ends,  however,  of  the 
plateau  were  86  feet  and  50  feet. 


w 


FIG.  31. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     Gilchrist  Island,  Ala.     (Height  5.3  inches.) 

On  the  chance  that  burials  had  been  made  in  the  summit-plateau  of  this 
great  mound,  thirty-four  trial-holes,  none  less  than  4  feet  in  depth,  were  put 
down  without  so  much  as  encountering  a  bone,  an  arrowhead,  or  a  fragment  of 
pottery. 

In  the  field  adjacent  to  the  mound  were  several  rises  just  above  the  level 
of  the  surface,  on  which  was  some  scattered  midden  debris  including  half  of  a 
banner-stone  of  banded  slate,  of  the  type  of  the  double-bladed  axe. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   OX   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  253 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  GILCHRIST  ISLAND/  COLBERT  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

About  one  mile  inland,  in  an  easterly  direction  from  the  principal  landing 
on  Gilchrist  Island,  of  which  Mr.  William  Richardson,  of  Florence,  Ala.,  is 
owner,  is  a  small  field  surrounded  by  woods.  In  the  eastern  part  of  this  field 
is  a  gradual  rise  having  a  maximum  height  of  about  4  feet  and  basal  diameters 
of  190  feet  and  210  feet.  The  surface  is  covered  with  fragments  and  chips  of 
stone,  mainly  flint,  but  implements,  whole,  broken,  or  in  any  stage  of  manufac 
ture  were  extremely  rare. 

Considerable  digging  in  this  rise  showed  a  foot  or  more  of  black  soil  containing 
quantities  of  chips  and  fragments  of  flint.  Beneath  was  midden  soil  having 
a  large  proportion  of  shells  closely  packed.  Burials  seemed  to  have  been  made 
here  and  there  throughout  the  rise,  but  nowhere  closely  associated.  A  structure, 
however,  on  the  central  part  of  the  rise  prevented  our  digging  in  that  part 
of  it. 

Five  burials  were  encountered,  three  of  adults,  two  of  children.  Of  the 
adult  skeletons,  twro  were  in  flexed  positions  and  one  had  been  disturbed  in  ab 
original  times. 

The  two  children  lay  together,  a  young  child  along  the  legs  of  a  larger  one 
which  had,  at  the  right  side  of  the  body,  two  masses  of  rock  and  two  others 
at  the  left  of  the  head.  On  the  legs  of  this  burial  was  a  fragment  of  a  large 
vessel  of  earthenware,  the  concave  side  uppermost.  In  this  stood  a  vessel  of 
the  type  first  found  by  us  at  Baugh's  Landing,  having  extensions  on  opposite 
sides  and  loop  handles  (Fig.  31). 

DWELLING-SITE  AT  LOCK  NUMBER  3,  LAUDERDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

At  Lock  Number  3,  in  the  Musselshoals2  canal,  where  Bluewater  creek  enters 
the  Tennessee,  is  a  large,  aboriginal  dwelling-site,  said  to  belong  to  a  Mr.  Huston, 
of  Memphis,  Tenn.  The  site  has  been  washed  by  rain  after  cultivation  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  midden  soil  has  practically  disappeared,  leaving  on  the  surface 
an  enormous  quantity  of  fragments  of  stone,  mostlj"  a  coarse  chert  which  would 
hardly  lend  itself  to  superior  workmanship.  Among  the  debris  were  "wasters" 
and  uncompleted  implements,  and  some  rather  rude  tools,  evidently  finished 
though  few  were  entire,  as  doubtless,  in  the  course  of  years,  they  have  been 
plowed  up  and  plowed  under  and  occasionally  struck  by  the  heavy  knives  of 
cutting  machines  used  in  clearing  the  field  of  cotton-stalks. 

A  brief  search  of  the  surface  yielded  a  spade  of  limestone,  some  compara 
tively  small,  argicultural  and  cutting  implements  of  flint,  barbed  arrowheads 
(some  serrated),  knives,  and  other  objects.  No  small,  triangular  arrowheads 
were  found. 

'Another  (iilchrist  Island  (locally  pronounced  Gilcrease),  in  Lawrence  County,  figures  later 
in  this  report. 

2  Almost  universally  spelled  Musclcshoals.     The  name,  of  course,  is  derived  from  the  shell-fish. 


254  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

PERIWINKLE  HILL,  LAUDERDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

At  the  upper  entrance  to  Musselshoals  canal  is  a  large  shell  deposit  called 
Periwinkle  Hill  (locally  "Penny winkle")  belonging  to  Mr.  T.  J.  Thornton, 
living  some  distance  back.  The  "hill,"  12.5  feet  in  height  and  128  feet  by  168 
feet  diameters  of  base,  is  flat  on  top,  probably  through  cultivation.  As  the 
"hill"  was  planted  over  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  no  investigation  was  attempted. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  WEAVER  PLACE,  LAUDERDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  the  Weaver  Place,  of  which  Dr.  L.  A.  Weaver,  of  Lamb's  Ferry,  Ala., 
is  the  owner,  is  a  slight  rise  in  a  cultivated  field,  155  feet  by  215  feet,  in  view 
from  the  river.  This  rise,  of  dark  soil  having  a  sprinkling  of  shell  on  the  surface, 
is  markedly  distinct  from  the  ground  around  it,  which  is  of  much  lighter  shade 
and  has  no  debris  upon  it.  Trial-holes  showed  a  considerable  proportion  of 
shell  mingled  with  the  soil  and  reached  undisturbed  earth  about  3  feet  8  inches 
from  the  surface.  Three  burials  were  found,  two  of  which  had  a  single  pebble 
each,  of  circular  outline,  which  probably  took  the  place  of  discoidal  stones.  A 
number  of  rude  knives  were  met  with  on  the  surface  and  in  the  soil. 

MOUND  ON  TICK  ISLAND/  LAWRENCE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  Tick  Island,  of  which  Mr.  R.  N.  Harris,  of  Florence,  Ala.,  is  the  owner, 
is  a  sand  mound  about  one  mile  from  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  near  its  north 
ern  side,  in  sight  from  the  water,  did  not  trees  intervene.  The  mound,  about 
circular  as  to  its  base,  has  a  diameter  of  60  feet;  its  height,  taken  from  the  out 
side,  around  which  depressions  made  it  difficult  to  do  with  accuracy,  was  slightly 
more  than  6  feet. 

From  the  northern  side  of  the  mound  is  an  extension  34  feet  long  to  where 
it  joins  the  mound,  and  44  feet  in  width.  This  extension  does  not  slope  upward 
to  the  top  of  the  mound,  but  joins  it  about  midway,  where  its  height  is  3  feet. 

There  had  been  some  previous  digging  in  this  mound,  but  the  holes  had 
been  of  inconsiderable  size  and  comparatively  shallow.  An  excavation  by  us, 
14  feet  square,  came  to  light-yellow  sand  at  a  depth  of  5.5  feet,  differing  con 
siderably  from  the  darker  sand  of  the  mound,  and  though  the  digging  was  carried 
to  a  depth  of  7  feet  and  to  8  feet  in  places,  no  distinct  basal  line  was  seen.  Pre 
sumably  the  different  colored  sand  was  the  underlying  soil. 

Burial  No.  1,  disturbed  fragments  of  bones  near  the  surface. 

Burial  No.  2,  14  inches  down,  remains  of  a  skull  and  a  femur  lying  together. 
With  these  was  a  mass  of  galena  (lead  sulphide)  about  the  size  of  a  woman's 
fist,  rounded  as  by  grinding,  and  two  vessels  of  very  inferior  ware,  as  were  all 
from  this  mound,  one  an  undccorated  pot,  the  other  belonging  to  a  class  found 
in  northern  Alabama,  of  which  we  are  showing  numerous  examples  (Fig.  32). 

1  To  avoid  confusion  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  a  mound  on  Tick  Island,  Florida,  has  been  in 
vestigated  and  described  by  us. 


AHORK1IXAL    SITKS   OX   TF.XXKSSKK    RIYKR. 


2.-).-, 


Burial  Xo.  3,  two  femora  not  in  order,  with  an  undecorated  pot  having  two 
loop-handles. 

Burial  Xo.  4,  three  feet  down,  fragments  of  a  skull  and  part  of  a  femur  to 
gether.  With  these  were  an  undecorated  pot  and  one  having  two  small,  hori 
zontal,  opposite  extensions  from  the  rim. 

Burial  Xo.  5,  fragments  of  crowns  of  teeth  in  a  grave  whose  base  was  G  feet 
6  inches  deep,  filled  in  with  the  dark  sand  of  the  mound.  With  the  teeth  was 


FIG.  32. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  Xo.  2.     Tick  Island,  Ala.     (Height  0.2  inches.) 

a  celt  (which  was  presented  to  the  owner  of  the  mound),  8  inches  long  and,  like 
nearly  all  the  celts  from  this  region,  carelessly  ground,  having  depressions  that 
for  neatness  of  appearance  should  have  been  obliterated. 

A  considerable  number  of  objects  were  taken  from  the  mound,  having  no 
burial  in  association,  though  presumably  most  of  them  had  been  with  bones 
that  had  decayed  away.  A  well-preserved,  spool-shaped  ornament  of  copper, 
around  the  central  part  of  which  was  a  cord  preserved  by  (lie  deposit  of  carbonate 
on  the  metal,  lay  in  the  sand  near  a  former  digging.  Three  agricultural  imple 
ments  of  shale,  the  largest  somewhat  more  than  one  foot  in  length,  were  found 


256 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


separately,  as  were  three  earthenware  vessels,  broken,  like  all  from  this  place, 
two  of  the  class  having  oblique  extensions  and  loop-handles  with  knobs,  one  of 
which  is  shown  in  Fig.  33,  and  one  a  small,  undecorated  bowl. 


]•'[<;.  33. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     Tick  Island,  Ala.     (Height  5.3  inches.) 

Together  and  certainly  a  mortuary  deposit  whose  burial  had  gone  through 
decay,  5  feet  deep,  were  twenty-five  masses  of  galena,  some  rounded,  the  largest 
about  the  size  of  a  goose-egg;  two  fragments  of  flint;  several  masses  of  clay, 
not  pure  clay  such  as  we  often  see  described  in  this  report  in  connection  with 
burials,  but  having  a  considerable  admixture  of  sand. 

Four  slabs  lay  together  near  the  surface  of  the  mound  and  evidently 
had  been  disturbed  by  previous  digging,  an  unfortunate  occurrence,  for  if  a 
stone  grave  had  been  present  in  this  region  it  would  be  interesting  to 
know  it. 

An  excavation  10  feet  square,  in  the  extension,  came  upon  traces  of  a  skull 
near  which  were  traces  of  femora  and  tibia?  in  order,  all  in  a  position  indicating 
a  flexed  burial.  On  the  base,  3  feet  10  inches  deep,  were  traces  of  a  skull  and 
of  other  bones.  Above  the  skull  lay  a  very  rude,  agricultural  implement  of 
shale,  1  foot  4.5  inches  in  length  and  5.25  inches  wide.  With  it  were  two  frag 
ments  of  flint. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


257 


MOUNDS  ABOVE  NANCE'S  REEF,  LAUDEKDALE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

About  one-half  mile  above  Nance's  Reef,  one  of  the  most  dangerous  parts 
of  Tennessee  river,  on  property  belonging  to  Air.  W.  F.  Harrison,  who  resides 
on  it,  is  a  mound  on  high  ground,  in  full  view  from  the  river,  about  110  feet 
across  its  base  of  irregular  outline,  and  8  feet  9  inches  high.  This  mound, 
mainly  of  clay,  had  been  plowed  over  for  many  years,  making  it  hard  to  deter 
mine  what  its  original  shape  had  been.  Seemingly,  however,  it  had  belonged 
to  the  domiciliary  class. 


FIG.  34. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     Sycamore  Landing,  Ala.     (Height  5.1  inches.) 

The  mound,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  was  covered  with  growing  wheat,  but 
arrangements  were  made  to  put  down  a  hole  10  feet  square.  The  excavation, 
however,  was  abandoned  before  the  base  was  reached. 

About  one-half  mile  easterly  from  this  mound  is  a  low  rise  largely  of  shell, 
which  we  did  not  investigate. 

MOUND  NEAR  SYCAMORE  LANDING,  LAWRENCE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

Almost  at  the  water's  edge,  in  full  view  from  the  river,  about  .4  mile  above 
Sycamore  Landing,  is  a  mound  on  property  of  which  Mr.  J.  II.  Gilchrist,  of 
Courtland,  Ala.,  is  owner.  The  mound,  6  feet  8  inches  high,  with  diameters 
of  65  and  75  feet,  evidently  has  been  quadrilateral  and  still  has  a  flat  top — doubt- 

23  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


258  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

less  a  domiciliary  mound.  About  centrally  an  excavation  10  feet  square  was 
put  down,  reaching  a  dark  line  7  feet  deep  over  undisturbed,  yellow  sand.  Traces 
of  two  skulls  were  found  separately,  somewhat  less  than  2  feet  down.  With 
one  was  a  vessel  in  fragments,  of  a  kind  found  by  us  in  this  region,  which,  put 
together,  and  restored  somewhat,  is  shown  in  Fig.  34.  The  ware  is  thick  and 
coarse. 

About  3  feet  down  were  remains  of  a  flexed  burial  with  which  was  a  large 
fragment  of  an  undecoratcd  vessel  of  earthenware.  A  small  pot  without  orna 
mentation  was  found  apart  from  bones. 

We  note  in  this  mound  no  burials  lower  than  3  feet  and  conclude  it  to  have 
been  a  domiciliary  mound  having  superficial  burials. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  GILCHRIST  ISLAND,  LAWRENCE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  Gilchrist  Island,  on  property  belonging  to  Prof.  J.  H.  Patterson,  of  Nash 
ville,  Tenn.,  about  midway  as  to  the  length  of  the  island  and  near  its  southern 
side,  in  a  cultivated  field  that  is  comparatively  level  and  shows  no  trace  of  midden 
debris,  is  a  hump  195  feet  by  305  feet,  approximately,  in  basal  diameters  and 
about  7  feet  in  maximum  height.  This  hump  is  superficially  covered  with 
dark  soil  greatly  differing  from  that  of  the  surrounding  field,  and  having  sprinkled 
through  it  fragments  of  musselshells  and  quantities  of  periwinkles  (Campeloma 
ponderosum).  About  2  feet  down  our  trial  holes  came  to  almost  solid  shell, 
encountering  disturbed  human  bones  near  the  surface  in  one  instance,  and  a 
disturbance  about  20  inches  down,  evidently  not  due  to  cultivation  of  the  field. 
This  site  is  similar  to  that  near  Milton  Bluff,  to  be  described  next  in  this  report, 
and  belongs  to  a  class  that  seems  to  offer  little  inducement  to  the  investigator. 

DWELLING-SITE  ABOVE  MILTON  BLUFF,  LAWRENCE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

About  one  mile  above  Milton  Bluff  and  200  yards  from  the  water  is  a  mound 
in  a  cultivated  field  on  property  belonging  to  Miss  Lucy  L.  Wheeler,  of  W'heeler, 
Ala.  This  mound,  rising  from  level,  bottom  land,  is  said  to  have  bordered  the 
river  within  memory  of  man,  the  intervening  ground  having  formed  in  compara 
tively  recent  years.  The  height  of  the  mound  is  about  9  feet,  its  basal  diameters 
180  feet  and  335  feet,  approximately.  Its  surface  was  thickly  strewn  with 
shells  and  fragments  of  stone. 

Eight  trial-holes  showed  the  first  two  feet  of  this  mound  to  be  of  midden 
soil,  below  which  was  a  mixture  of  earth,  musselshells,  and  Campeloma  pon- 
derosum,  a  univalve,  closely  packed.  Digging  through  this  material  made  slow 
progress.  Four  burials  were  discovered  as  follows:  scattered  bones  near  the 
surface;  adolescent  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  about  3  feet  down;  a  child  at  a 
depth  of  22  inches;  adult  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  nearly  4  feet  deep. 

As  our  deepest  hole  was  but  5  feet  3  inches  and  still  in  masses  of  shell,  we 
cannot  say  if  this  mound  was  in  part  natural  or  wholly  artificial.  Probably, 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  259 

however,  as  the  ground  surrounding  it  was  level,  alluvial  land,  the  mound  was 
a  mass  of  shell  down  to  the  surface  of  the  field  and  not  a  shell-heap  on  an  emi 
nence. 

A  thorough  examination  of  this  shell-heap  would  require  far  more  time  than 
its  character  and  the  probable  absence  of  artifacts  with  the  burials  would  justify. 
In  the  digging  were  found  several  rude  knives  of  flint,  an  axe  4  inches  in  length, 
having  a  double  groove,  the  poll,  unfortunately,  somewhat  broken. 

On  the  surface  were  several  knives  or  arrowheads,  of  flint,  and  an  agricultural 
tool  of  limestone,  about  8.5  inches  in  length. 

About  one-quarter  mile  distant  from  this  shell  mound,  on  high  ground  farther 
in  from  the  river,  is  what  is  believed  to  be  a  mound  by  those  residing  nearby, 
but  which  our  agent  reported  to  be  in  reality  a  natural  ridge. 

MOUND  ON  BROWN's1  ISLAND,  LAWRENCE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

At  the  upper  end  of  Brown's  Island  (and  we  several  times  have  occasion  to 
note  that  a  number  of  islands  in  Tennessee  river  have  mounds  so  situated), 
which  also  is  called  Knight's  Island,  its  owner  being  Mr.  John  W.  Knight,  of 
Decatur,  Ala.,  is  a  mound  quadrilateral  with  flat  top,  somewhat  rounded  in 
outline.  Its  height  is  9.5  feet;  it  is  about  90  feet  square. 

An  excavation  10  feet  square  reached  scattering  shell  at  a  depth  of  9  feet 
and  came  to  undisturbed,  yellow  sand  six  inches  deeper.  Probably  the  mound 
had  been  built  on  a  dwelling-site.  At  one  place,  the  dark,  loam}-  sand  of  which 
the  mound  was  composed  continued  down  mingled  with  shell  to  a  depth  of  12 
feet  from  the  summit,  or  about  2.5  feet  into  the  undisturbed  sand.  There  was 
not  the  appearance  of  a  pit  at  this  place,  it  seeming  rather  as  if  the  mound  had 
been  built  on  a  rolling  surface,  such  as  the  ground  is  today  through  wash  of 
water  when  the  river  is  high,  and  that  the  lower  level  had  been  raised  with  midden 
soil  to  the  general  level  and  then  the  mound  carried  upward  from  that.  Nothing 
in  the  way  of  bones  or  of  artifacts  was  found  or  expected  in  this  domiciliary 
mound. 

DWELLING-SITE  AT  BROWN'S  FERRY,  LIMESTONE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

At  Brown's  Ferry  is  a  large  property  which  belonged  to  the  late  Henry 
\\arten,  of  Athens,  Ala.,  who  most  kindly  had  placed  his  twelve  thousand 
acres  of  land  along  Tennessee  river  at  our  disposal. 

On  high  ground  just  back  of  the  bottom  land  at  this  place  was  a  large,  abor 
iginal  dwelling-site,  on  the  surface  of  which  were  shells  and  fragments  of  stone. 
Most  of  this  site,  unfortunately,  at  the  time  of  our  visit  was  covered  with  growing- 
oats.  In  certain  parts  of  the  site  not  under  cultivation,  digging  at  random  (there 
were  no  rises  to  indicate  where  investigation  might  be  rewarded)  was  attempted 

1  This  name  has  been  selected  because  it  is  employed  in  the  "Index  Map  of  the  Tennessee  River, 
Survey  of  the  Middle  Section,  House  Document  Xo.  300."  The  island,  however,  is  also  well  known 
as  Birkett's  Island  and  Robinson  Island,  names  of  former  owners. 


260  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

without  success  and  with  but  little  encouragement  as  the  midden  soil  was  of 
inconsiderable  depth. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  MASON  ISLAND,  LIMESTONE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

About  200  yards  below  the  upper  end  of  Mason  Island,  which  is  about  four 
miles  long,  on  property  of  Mr.  J.  Greer  Mason,  of  Athens,  Ala.,  is  a  landing 
where,  on  the  border  of  a  cultivated  field  near  the  river,  is  an  aboriginal  dwelling- 
site  of  small  proportions,  marked  by  the  presence  of  shells  on  the  surface. 

At  the  upper  end  of  this  site  is  a  slight  rise  of  irregular  outline,  about  60  feet 
by  75  feet  in  extent,  containing  much  shell,  loosely  packed,  however,  and  com 
paratively  easy  to  dig.  The  maximum  depth  of  the  shells  and  midden  soil 
was  about  3.5  feet. 

This  rise  was  almost  completely  dug  through  by  us,  yielding  fifty-two  burials, 
of  which  twenty-two  were  of  infants  or  of  older  children.  The  adult  and  adoles 
cent  burials,  with  one  exception,  the  skeleton  of  an  adult  extended  on  the  back, 
\vere  all  in  some  form  of  flexion,  wherever  it  was  possible  to  determine.  There 
had  been,  however,  much  disturbance  caused  by  intersecting  burials.  No 
interments  were  found  at  a  depth  greater  than  38  inches,  except  in  the  case  of 
a  grave  which  will  be  described  in  due  course.  Undisturbed  alluvial  soil  was 
reached  about  3.5  feet  down. 

The  description  of  all  burials  accompanied  by  artifacts  is  given  in  detail. 

Burial  No.  3,  a  disturbance.  At  the  feet  was  a  barrel-shaped  object  of 
limestone,  sometimes  called  an  anvil-stone,  3.4  inches  in  height  and  3.5  inches 
in  maximum  diameter.  This  particular  stone,  however,  can  hardly  have  been 
used  where  blows  were  struck,  as  the  symmetrical  depression  at  each  end  is 
smooth,  in  fact  almost  polished. 

Burial  No.  4,  adolescent,  the  bones  somewhat  disturbed.  At  the  pelvis, 
together,  were:  a  celt  of  indurated  shale,  2.4  inches  in  length;  a  pebble  about 
5  inches  long,  resembling  a  celt  in  shape;  a  pebble  circular  in  outline;  a  com 
monplace  pipe  of  earthenware,  having  a  band  of  notches  encircling  the  opening. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  disturbance.  Near  the  skull  was  an  undecorated  pot  having 
two  loop-handles. 

Burial  No.  6,  partly  flexed  on  the  right.  Standing  in  front  of  the  thorax 
(the  burial,  of  course,  lying  on  its  side)  were  a  bowl  and  a  bottle  without  decora 
tion,  and  a  pot  having  a  very  rude,  cross-hatched,  incised  design  around  the 
neck.  The  skull  of  this  burial,  which  lay  at  a  depth  of  2  feet,  was  saved. 

Burial  No.  8,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  32  inches  down.  Near  the  skull, 
which  was  saved,  was  a  small  bowl  having  had  as  an  ornament  an  effigy  of  a 
head  projecting  vertically. 

Burial  No.  9,  partly  flexed  to  the  right.  Near  the  skull  were  an  undecorated 
bottle  having  a  flat,  projecting  base;  an  undecorated  pot  having  two  loop-handles; 
another  pot  also  with  handles,  having  a  rude  line  and  punctate  decoration  on 
the  body. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


261 


Burial  No.  12,  a  young  child.  A  stain  from  a  salt  of  copper  was  on  the  face. 
This  skeleton  lay  with  that  of  an  adult,  the  skull  of  the  child  at  the  knees  of  the 
other  burial  and  directed  toward  the  feet. 

Burial  No.  10,  partly  flexed  on  the  left.  An  ear-plug  of  the  pin-shaped 
variety  and  of  considerable  length  lay  at  each  side  of  the  skull,  at  the  right  of 
which  was  a  rude  pot  having  two  loop-handles,  and  coarse,  lined  decoration  on 
the  body.  Near  the  top  of  the  head  was  a  vessel  in  fragments,  having  had  four 
equidistant  knobs  around  the  opening.  Near  the  chin  was  a  shell  gorget,  seal- 


FIG.  35. — Earthenware  vessel  coated  with  carbonate  of  lime. 
Island,  Ala.     (Height  8  inches.) 


With  Burial   No.  16.     Mason 


loped  and  bearing  a  triskcle  design  on  one  side,  rather  carelessly  executed. 
Alongside  the  left  shoulder  was  an  undecorated  pot  having  two  loop-handles 
and  containing  a  pair  of  spoons  carved  from  musselshells. 

At  the  outer  side  of  the  left  humerus  stood  a  bottle  having  a  spherical  body, 
the  base  flattened,  8  inches  in  height  and  9.6  inches  in  maximum  diameter 
(Fig.  35).  The  neck  of  this  bottle,  having  a  diameter  of  3.1  inches,  apparently 
had  been  broken  off  in  part,  and  the  remainder,  .8  inch  in  height,  had  been  smoothed 
along  the  line  of  fracture.  Probably  but  little  of  the  neck  had  been  lost,  however, 
as  a  bottle  similar  in  shape,  having  a  comparatively  short  neck,  was  found  at 


262  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

this  place  later  in  the  investigation.  On  this  bottle  with  Burial  No.  16  is  a 
white  coating  which  is  not  kaolin,  the  pigment  used  on  most  vessels  having  a 
decoration  in  white,  but  proves  to  be  carbonate  of  lime. 

Somewhat  farther  up  Tennessee  river,  with  Burial  No.  53,  Mound  A,  the 
Roden  Mounds,  was  a  small  mass  of  white  material  which  evidently  had  been 
interred  with  the  burial  as  an  offering.  This  material  was  determined  to  be 
calcium  carbonate,  carbonate  of  lime,  and  practically  the  same  as  found  by  us 
on  the  bottle.  Referring  to  the  deposit  in  the  Roden  Mound,  Doctor  Keller 
writes: 

"I  have  examined  the  lump  of  calcium  carbonate  and  find  that  it  is  more 
dense  and  distinctly  harder  in  the  interior.  Whether  the  soft,  chalk-like  layer 
on  the  outside  is  the  result  of  weathering  or  due  to  the  action  of  heat  and  sub 
sequent  absorption  of  carbonic  acid  is  difficult  to  determine. 

"As  there  is  no  sharp  line  of  demarcation  I  rather  incline  to  the  belief  that 
the  alteration  was  caused  by  atmospheric  action." 

To  digress  a  moment,  we  have  spoken,  in  connection  with  this  burial,  of 
ear-ornaments  like  large  pins  in  form.  We  are  inclined  to  believe  that  these 
pin-shaped  objects  were  all  ear-ornaments,  as  we  know  some  of  them  to  have 
been,  and  that  those  having  long  shanks  were  passed  through  the  lobe  of  the 
ear,  the  shank  being  held  in  place  by  masses  of  hair.  These  pin-shaped  orna 
ments  of  shell,  of  whatever  size  they  may  be,  arc  almost  invariably  found  in 
pairs,  one  at  each  side  of  the  skull,  unless  there  is  evidence  of  disturbance  in 
connection  with  the  burial.  Moreover,  some  of  them  have  a  groove  immediately 
back  of  the  globular  head,  which  evidently  is  intended  to  accommodate  the 
lobe  of  the  car.  However,  it  is  possible  some  of  the  longest  ornaments  of  this 
shape  may  have  served  as  pins  in  the  hair,  though  we  have  found  even  this 
form  in  place  at  each  side  of  the  head  of  a  burial. 

And  now  to  return  to  the  burials. 

Burial  No.  17,  a  child.  At  the  neck  and  extending  down  the  body  were 
ten  massive  shell  beads  and  one  small  one,  all  well  preserved,  the  largest  1.3 
inch  in  length  and  1.1  inch  in  maximum  diameter.  Near  the  skull  was  a  celt 
of  indurated  shale  4.4  inches  in  length. 

Burial  No.  19,  a  child.  Under  the  right  elbow  lay  a  bicave  stone  of  quartz 
slightly  less  than  2.5  inches  in  diameter,  having  an  interesting  feature  some 
times  noticed  in  these  stones  in  that  each  side  may  be  said  to  have  a  double 
depression,  the  main  ones  having  centrally  each  a  smaller  one  about  fitted  in 
size  to  accommodate  a  finger  tip.  Probably  this  stone  was  rolled  by  a  juvenile 
player  in  the  game  of  chungkee,  as  the  children  of  the  Wedauan  people  'of 
New  Guinea1  hurl  spears  and  sharpened  sticks  at  a  cocoanut  rolled  along  the 
ground.  The  course  of  this  chungkee-stone  would  be  slightly  erratic,  however, 
the  stone  being  somewhat  asymmetrical,  a  fact  which  might  add  interest  to  the 
game. 

'Henry  Newton,  "In  Far  New  Guinea,"  p.  63. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


263 


Burial  No.  21,  an  infant.  Near  the  skull  were  five  shell  beads  and  two  shell 
ear-plugs  of  the  pin  variety,  each  .9  inch  in  length.  One  of  these  minute  orna 
ments  was  found  in  place,  but  the  other,  disturbed  by  a  blow  of  a  spade  in  its 
neighborhood,  required  work  with  a  sieve  for  its  recovery. 


FIG.  30. — Ornaments  of  wood,  copper-coated.  With  Burial  No.  22.  Mason  Island,  Ala.  (Full 
size.) 

Burial  No.  22,  a  child.  At  the  feet  were  two  hollow,  wooden  ornaments, 
copper-coated,  containing  small  pebbles,  shown  in  Fig.  36,  one  open,  the  other 
as  found. 

Mr.  Charles  C".  Willoughby  considers  these  ornaments  to  be  representations 
of  the  pod  of  the  milkweed  plant.  This  type  of  ornament  was  found  by  us  in 
the  mound  on  the  Bennett  Place,  below  Chattanooga,  and  also  in  a  mound  in 
Arkansas.  Herewith  is  given  a  note  on  the  subject  of  ornaments  of  this  class, 
kindly  prepared  for  this  report  by  Mr.  Willoughby. 

"Dear  Mr.  Moore:  In  the  Pcabody  Museum  of  Harvard  University  are 
two  pairs  of  ear  pendants  similar  to  those  of  which  you  send  photographs;  then- 
are,  however,  without  expanding  tips.  Each  pendant  of  the  first  pair  is  per 
forated  near  the  larger  end,  and  closely  resembles  the  one  obtained  by  you 
from  a  mound  in  Calhoun  Co.,  Arkansas,  and  which  you  figured  on  page  93 
of  the  report  of  the  Antiquities  of  the  Ouachita  Valley.  They  were  obtained 
by  Mr.  Edwin  Curtis  in  1878  while  working  for  the  Museum,  and  are  described 
and  illustrated  on  pages  112-113,  volume  III,  of  the  Peabody  Museum  Reports. 
Professor  Putnam  says:  'They  are  made  of  wood  which,  after  being  carefully 
shaped  and  smoothed,  was  split  lengthwise  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  symmetri 
cal  and  smooth  oval  cavity.  ...  In  the  cavity  small  pebbles  of  quartz  were 
placed,  .  .  .  which  would  give  a  slight  jingling  sound  as  the  head  of  the  wearer 
was  moved  about.  The  two  pieces  were  then  put  together  and  held  in  place 


264 


ABORIGINAL  SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


by  a  covering  of  very  thin  plates  of  copper,  which  were  firmly  united  by  pounding 
and  rubbing  until  an  even  and  smooth  surface  was  secured.  Through  the  upper 
end  a  hole  was  made  by  which  the  pendant  was  fastened  to  the  ear.'  These 
were  found,  one  on  either  side  of  the  skull  of  a  skeleton,  in  a  stone  grave  mound, 
Harpeth  River,  central  Tennessee.  At  the  time  that  the  above  description 
was  written,  but  one  of  the  pendants  had  been  opened.  This  had  probably 
been  done  in  the  field  by  Mr.  Curtis.  Noticing  that  the  ornament  represented 
the  seed  pod  of  some  species  of  the  genus  Asclepias  I  opened  the  other  specimen 
with  the  result  shown  in  Fig.  37,  where  the  ornaments  are  pictured  with  a  pod 


FIG.  37. — Pair  of  ear-ornaments.     Harpeth  River,  Central  Tennessee.     To  the  right,  pod  of  Ax- 
clepias  cornuti.     (Full  size.) 

of  Asclepias  cornuti.  As  will  be  seen,  the  pebbles,  which  represent  the  seeds, 
are  carefully  placed  in  position  just  within  the  walls  of  the  pod,  upon  a  mass  of 
fiber,  which  fills  the  remaining  space  in  the  cavity.  The  fiber  undoubtedly 
represents  seed  down,  which  is  especially  conspicuous  in  the  milkweed.  This 
fiber  is  now  of  a  deep  brown  color.  It  may  have  been  from  the  stalk  of  the 
Asclepias,  the  fiber  of  which  was  used  for  cordage,  although  less  extensively 
than  that  of  Apocynum.  The  milky  juice  of  this  plant  was  used  by  some  of 
the  California  Indians  to  make  the  pattern  of  tattoo  marks  on  the  skin,  and 
to  hold  the  soot  while  being  pricked  into  the  surface.  Unfortunately  but 
little  is  known  of  the  ethno-botany  of  primitive  America,  and  the  extent 
to  which  various  plants  entered  into  the  ceremonial  life  of  the  Indians  can  only 
be  surmised.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  some  mystic  significance  was  at 
tributed  to  the  milkweed  and  that  these  pendants  embodied  that  power. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


205 


"The  second  pair  of  car  ornaments  in  the  Pcabody  Museum  are    shown 
in  Figs.  38,  39.     They  formed  a  part  of  the  collection  of  the  late  Dr.  Cleorge 


FIG.  38. — Ear-pendants  from  burial  at  Lcttermaii,  Ark.     (Full  size.) 


Fi<;.  39. — Side  view  of  pendant  from  Lcttennan,  Ark.,  and  side  view  of  a  pod  of  .\xrl<'i>inx  cur/niti. 
(Full  si/e.) 

2-1  JOfKX.   A.   X.  S.    I'llll.A..   VOL.  XVI. 


266 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


\ 


J.  Engelmann  and  were  obtained  from  a  burial  at  Letterman,  Arkansas.  Both 
had  been  opened  and  their  contents  lost  with  the  exception  of  six  pebbles.  The 
wooden  portion  of  one  of  these  ornaments  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation 
and  is  a  beautiful  example  of  working  in  wood  by  primitive  processes,  the  walls 
surrounding  the  inner  cavity  being  only  about  one  sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  thick 
ness.  The  sheet  copper  which  encased  the  wood  has  corroded  and  nearly  all 
flaked  off.  It  will  be  noticed  that  a  wooden  plug  is  inserted  in  a  hole  at  the 
larger  end  and  represents  the  stem,  a  feature  also  present  in  the  pendants  se 
cured  by  you  at  Mason  Island,  Alabama. 

"The  pods  of  the  40  or  more  species  of  Asclepias  found  within  the  United 
States  vary  considerably  in  size  and  shape.  Some  are  long  and  slender,  others 
arc  short  and  thick.  In  looking  over  the  collection  in  the  (Jray  Herbarium 
of  Harvard  University  I  found  none  with  expanding  tips  corresponding  to  the 

form   shown    in   the   pendants    from    Mason 
/    \  Island.     This  feature  may  have  been  exagger- 

''/  atcd  in  the  ornament.    It  is  possible,  however, 

\  that  the  Mason  Island  specimen  may  represent 

the  pod   of  a  different   plant,  the   nature  of 
which  is  unknown  to  me." 

Burial  No.  23,  partly  flexed  on  the  right. 
At  the  right  shoulder  was  a  pot  having  four 
equidistant,  horizontal  projections  from  the 
rim,  which  would  serve  to  keep  an  encircling 
cord  in  place,  while  back  of  the  trunk  was  a 
pot,  undecorated  save  that  two  opposite  pro 
jections  were  present  at  the  opening,  extend 
ing  horizontally.  In  each  of  these  projections 
a  space  is  present  through  which  a  cord  at 
tached  to  one  enclosing  the  neck  could  pass 
vertically  (Fig.  40).  A  considerable  deposit 

of  soot  is  on  the  body  of  this  vessel,  which  fact 
FIG.  40. — Showing  method  of  suspension.          .    ,      .     ,. 

might  indicate  that  the  vessel  sometimes  had 

been  placed  on  a  fire  and  sometimes  suspended  when  cooking  was  not  in  progress, 
for  if  suspended  over  a  fire  presumably  the  cord  would  risk  destruction.  At  the 
knees  of  the  skeleton  was  a  pot  having  two  loop-handles,  and  four  lobes  around 
the  body  (Fig.  41),  which  is  shown  not  on  account  of  any  excellence  possessed 
by  the  vessel,  but  to  illustrate  the  pottery  of  the  region. 

Burial  No.  24,  an  infant.  At  the  cranium  lay  a  vessel  from  the  rim  of  which 
were  numerous  horizontal  projections. 

Burial  No.  26,  partly  flexed  on  the  right.  In  front  of  the  thorax  had  been 
placed  a  rude,  undecorated  pot. 

Burial  No.  28,  adolescent,  partly  flexed  to  the  left.  At  the  skull,  together, 
were  a  pot  with  two  loop-handles,  and  a  bowl  having  an  effigy  of  an  animal's 
head  rising  from  the  rim,  a  conventional  tail  being  on  the  opposite  side. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


207 


Burial  Xo.  29,  a  child.  At  the  head  was  a  pot  having  two  loop-handles. 
On  the  thorax,  with  two  shell  beads,  was  a  scalloped,  shell  gorget  having  two 
perforations  for  suspension  and  on  the  concave  side  two  concentric  circles,  the 
outer  one  being  in  line  with  the  perforations.  Below  the  gorget  was  an  orna 
ment  of  the  pin-shaped  variety.  An  undecorated  bottle,  8.3  inches  in  diameter, 
having  a  wide  neck  1.1  inch  in  height,  was  at  the  pelvis.  As  a  rule  in  this  site 
the  vessels  of  a  size  for  use  by  adults  had  been  placed  with  burials  of  children, 
which  usuallv  is  not  the  case  elsewhere. 


FKI.  41.— Vessel  (if  earthenware.     With  Burial  Xo.  23.     Mason  Island,  Ala.     (Height  3.8  inches.) 

Burial  No.  32,  closely  flexed  on  the  right.  At  the  head  was  a  pot  having 
knobs  around  the  opening,  and  containing  a  small  pot  having  had  two  loop- 
handles,  one  of  which  was  missing. 

Burial  No.  33,  a  child.  On  the  side  of  the  head  was  a  pot  having  two  loop- 
handles,  and  inside  it  a  shell  spoon  and  two  flat  beads  made  from  a  very  thick 
musselshcll,  one  of  which  broke  into  flakes  on  removal.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  head  was  an  undecorated  bottle  having  a  wide  mouth.  Also  near  the 
head,  where  probably  it  had  fallen  from  the  thorax,  was  an  undecorated  gorget 
of  shell.  In  position  at  the  neck,  where  most  likely  they  had  been  attached 
to  the  gorget,  were  a  number  of  shell  beads  and  two  small,  baroque  pearls, 
pierced  for  stringing.  At  the  feet  was  an  undecorated  pot  having  a  pair  of 
loop-handles.  This  vessel  was  badly  broken,  as  were  nearly  all  the  earthenware 
vessels  found  at  this  site. 

Burial  No.  34,  closely  flexed  on  the  hack.  At  the  left  shoulder  was  a  bowl 
having  a  crimped  decoration  at  the  margin,  inside  of  which  was  another  bowl 


268 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE    RIVER, 


having  the  head  of  a  bird  and  a  conventional  tail  on  opposite  sides  by  way  of 
decoration.  At  the  left  humerus  was  a  bowl  with  a  beaded  margin.  An  un- 
decorated  bottle  in  fragments  and  a  large  pot  lay  along  the  left  shoulder  and 
elbow. 

Burial  No.  35,  a  child.  Small  shell  beads  were  at  the  neck,  and  at  the  right 
side  was  a  pot  having  two  loop-handles,  knobs  being  on  the  handles  and  around 
the  margin  of  the  vessel,  in  which  were  two  spoons  carved  from  musselshells. 


FIG.  42. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  Xo.  49.     Mason  Island,  Ala.     (Height  0.0  inches.) 

Burial  No.  37,  partly  flexed  to  the  left.  At  the  right  shoulder  was  an  un- 
decorated  pot  having  two  loop-handles.  The  skull  of  this  burial  was  saved. 
Judging  from  the  appearance  of  the  bones  at  this  site,  their  condition  was  ex 
cellent,  but  a  kind  of  dry  rot  seemed  to  have  affected  them  and  comparatively 
few  were  in  a  condition  to  save. 

Burial  No.  38,  a  child.  On  the  thorax  was  a  small  conchshell  (Busycon 
pyrum),  its  beak  toward  the  chin  of  the  skeleton,  it  evidently  having  hung  in 
that  position  with  the  aid  of  a  small  perforation  at  the  end  of  the  beak.  With 
it  was  a  shell  spoon. 

Burial  No.  39,  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  in  a  grave  elliptical  in  outline, 
3  feet  10  inches  long  by  2  feet  10  inches  in  maximum  width  and  4  feet  deep, 
was  a  skeleton  without  accompanying  artifacts,  details  of  whose  burial  we  in 
clude  as  it  was  the  only  unmistakable  grave  found  in  the  site. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES  OX   TEXXESSEE   RIVER. 

Burial  Xo.  40,  closely  Hexed  to  the  left.  At  the  left  of  the  skull  was  a  bowl 
having  had  the  effigy  of  a  head  rising  from  the  rim  and  a  conventional  tail  on 
the  opposite  side.  \Yith  this  was  a  pot  having  four  horizontal  projections 
from  the  rim.  The  skull  of  this  burial  was  in  condition  to  keep. 

Burial  Xo.  41,  partly  flexed  to  the  right.  At  the  pelvis  was  a  large  bowl,  a 
cooking  vessel  covered  with  soot,  having  four  horizontal  projections  near  the 
rim,  ornamented  with  small  notches  on  the  outer  margins. 


FH;.  4)5. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     Mason  Island,  Ala.     (Height  4.1  indies.) 

Burial  Xo.  42,  partly  flexed  to  the  right.  At  the  right  humerus  was  a  dis- 
coidal  of  jasper  breccia,  3.5  inches  in  diameter.  This  stone  has  an  effective 
appearance,  not  through  excellence  of  treatment  but  owing  to  its  component 
parts,  some  of  which  are  yellow,  others  red,  the  setting  of  all  being  chocolate 
in  shade.  At  the  right  elbow  was  a  discoidal  of  limestone,  2.5  inches  in  diameter. 

Burial  Xo.  45,  closely  flexed  to  the  left.  At  the  left  shoulder  and  elbow 
was  a  large  pot  having  a  number  of  horizontal  projections  around  the  rim,  and 
another  pot  decorated  in  the  same  way  with  knobs. 

Burial  Xo.  49,  a  young  child.  At  the  pelvis  was  a  vessel  having  two  pro 
jections  from  the  rim  at  opposite  sides,  under  each  of  which  was  a  loop-handle. 
Around  the  upper  part  of  the  vessel  are  four  encircling,  parallel  rows  of  knobs 
(Fig.  42).  This  vessel  belongs  to  a  class  which,  as  we  have  before  said,  seems 
to  be  frequently  met  with  in  northern  Alabama. 

In  the  digging,  away  from  bones,  were:  a  vessel  of  earthenware  (Fig.  43); 
ten  arrowheads  and  knives  of  flint,  found  singly,  four  of  which  are  triangular 


270  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

in  outline;  a  disc  of  wood,  copper-coated,  1.9  inch  in  diameter,  evidently  part  of 
an  ear-plug;  the  skull  of  a  dog;  a  bone  of  a  turkey;  several  piercing  implements 
of  bone;  part  of  an  antler  smoothed  at  both  ends,  possibly  intended  for  a  handle; 
a  discoidal  of  quart/,  3  inches  in  diameter;  a  graceful  lancchead  of  flint,  3.75 
inches  in  length. 

A  pit  of  considerable  size,  traceable  from  the  surface  down,  filled  with  shells 
and  some  midden  soil,  probably  had  been  in  use  for  refuse.  At  all  events  no 
bones  were  present  in  it. 

Digging  in  other  parts  of  the  site  was  without  success,  no  place  being  found 
where  the  midden  soil  was  of  any  considerable  depth. 

MOUND  ON  THE  STEEL  PLACE,  LIMESTONE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  a  property  said  to  belong  to  Mr.  Arthur  Steel,  residence  unknown,  is  a 
mound  a  few  yards  from  the  landing,  about  12  feet  in  height.  This  mound, 
which  evidently  has  been  a  domiciliary  one,  has  been  cut  away  in  part  to  permit 
the  erection  of  a  building.  We  were  informed  by  a  tenant  that  nothing  had 
been  found  at  the  time  of  the  partial  demolition  of  the  mound.  A  short  distance 
from  this  mound  is  a  small  one,  evidently  much  worn  away,  on  which  is  a  building. 
No  digging  was  done  by  us  at  this  place. 

MOUND  AT  DECATUR,  ALABAMA. 

In  the  yard  of  the  H.  H.  Hitt  Lumber  Company,  of  Decatur,  Ala.,  is  a  mound 
somewhat  the  worse  for  time,  about  10.5  feet  in  height  and  approximately  80 
feet  and  95  feet  in  diameters  of  base.  The  mound  evidently  had  belonged  to 
the  domiciliary  class,  and  although  Mr.  Hitt,  president  of  the  company,  placed 
it  at  our  disposal,  we  decided,  under  the  circumstances,  it  would  be  inexpedient 
to  dig  into  it,  as  mounds  of  this  kind,  as  we  so  often  have  had  occasion  to  say, 
rarely  yield  any  return. 

MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  SOUTH  FLINT  RIVER,  MORGAN 

COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  the  river  bank,  about  100  yards  above  the  mouth  of  South  Flint  river, 
on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  J.  B.  Gilchrist,  of  Courtland,  Ala.,  was  a  mound 
5  feet  in  height  and  45  feet  across  its  base,  which  was  about  circular.  This 
mound  had  been  dug  into  previous  to  our  coming,  but  though  the  hole,  which 
was  central,  had  been  of  considerable  size  at  the  surface,  it  converged  suddenly 
and  before  reaching  the  base  of  the  mound  was  of  insignificant  proportions. 

An  excavation  16  feet  square  was  put  down  by  us,  showing  the  top  of  the 
mound  to  be  6  feet  3  inches  above  the  base,  which  consisted  of  2  or  3  inches  of 
very  dark  midden  soil,  beneath  which  was  a  solid  deposit  of  shell,  no  doubt 
part  of  the  dwelling-site  which  was  contiguous  to  the  mound.  The  mound 
itself  was  of  raw  clay  without  any  admixture  of  organic  matter.  In  the  upper 
two  feet  of  the  mound,  in  addition  to  loose  bones  thrown  out  by  former  diggers, 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


271 


three  burials  of  children  and  one  of  an  adult  were  encountered,  none  at  a  depth 
greater  than  slightly  more  than  2  feet. 


Fio.   1 4. --Bottle  of  earthenware.     Near  South  Flint  River,  Ala.     (Height  S.2  inches.) 

Only  a  few  inches  from  the  surface,  apart,  were  two  vessels — one,  undecor- 
ated,  having  a  short  neck,  the  other,  a  graceful  bottle,  its  body  consisting 
of  four  lobes.  This  vessel,  of  fairly  thin  ware  in  which  a  small  proportion  of 
shell-tempering  is  apparent,  has  had  a  uniform  coating  of  red  paint  over  the 


272  ABORIGINAL   SITES   OX   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

body  (Fig.  44).  Though  no  interments  were  found  near  these  vessels,  it  is 
probable  they  had  been  with  human  remains,  as  both  were  near  the  edge  of  the 
former  digging. 

Throughout  the  rest  of  the  mound,  to  the  base,  no  burials  were  met,  nor 
was  any  artifact  encountered  with  the  exception  of  part  of  a  large  axe,  apparently 
of  claystonc,  the  posterior  part  of  which  was  absent,  and  a  rude;  knife  of  flint 
found  on  the  base.  No  pit  extending  below  the  mound  was  discovered. 

Immediately  adjacent  to  the  mound  was  a  small  dwelling-site  which,  to 
some  extent,  had  been  cut  away  by  the  river  that  had  left  exposed  parts  of 
human  skeletons  in  two  places.  Quantities  of  broken  stones,  quartzite  and 
flint,  lay  along  the  shore,  with  which  was  an  occasional  arrowhead.  On  the 
surface  of  the  site,  which  offered  no  indication  in  the  way  of  a  rise  where  digging 
might  be  successful,  a  few  arrowheads  were  gathered,  all  with  stems,  some  having 
barbs.  Pottery  of  fairly  good  quality  was  either  undecorated  or  bore  a  check 
or  a  cord-marked  design. 

A  limited  amount  of  digging  in  this  site  soon  came  to  a  thickly-packed  de 
posit  of  shell  where  work  progressed  slowly,  and  it  seemed  hardly  worth  while, 
under  such  conditions,  to  devote  a  long  period  to  finding,  at  most  a  few  burials 
with  which,  in  all  probability,  nothing  had  been  deposited. 

MOUND  NEAK  LIMESTONE  CREEK,  LIMESTONE  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

In  a  cultivated  field  bordering  Limestone  creek  and  in  sight  from  its  bank, 
about  1.5  mile  back  from  the  union  of  the  creek  with  the  Tennessee,  is  a  mound 
on  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  E.  Penney,  of  Birmingham,  Ala.,  who  most  cordially 
placed  all  his  various  properties  along  Tennessee  river  between  Florence,  Ala., 
and  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  at  the  disposal  of  the  Academy  for  investigation. 

The  mound,  about  circular  as  to  its  base,  had  been  somewhat  spread  by 
cultivation;  its  diameter  was  55  feet.  The  height  of  the  mound  was  hard  to 
determine,  as  it  was  in  part  on  the  verge  of,  and  partly  on,  a  slope,  so  that  its 
height  depended  largely  on  the  point  from  which  the  measurement  was  made. 
From  the  level  of  the  crest  of  the  slope  the  mound  had  a  height  of  4  feet  8  inches, 
but  later  a  measurement  showed  the  base  to  have  been  slightly  more  than  6  feet 
below  the  summit  of  the  mound. 

An  excavation  16  feet  square,  which  later  was  much  enlarged  in  places,  was 
put  down,  showing  the  composition  of  the  mound  to  be  of  dark,  midden  soil, 
almost  black  as  a  rule,  though  near  the  surface  in  one  part  there  seemed  to  be  a 
mingling  of  clay  somewhat  lighter  in  shade. 

Thirty  burials  were  encountered,  all  of  which,  with  one  exception,  where  a 
quantity  of  disconnected  bones  had  been  interred,  were  of  the  flexed  form  of 
burial  or  at  full  length,  so  far  as  could  be  determined.  In  the  body  of  the  mound 
especially  there  had  been  great  disturbance,  burials  cutting  through  other  burials, 
leaving  parts  of  skeletons  only.  Single  skulls  were  encountered  also  and  were 
classed  as  burials. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  273 

In  addition  to  several  burials  on  the  base  of  the  mound,  ten  graves  extended 
below  the  base,  throe  of  which  contained  two  burials  each.  The  following 
interments  present  features  of  interest  in  connection  with  their  method  of  burial 
or  had  artifacts  with  them. 

Burial  No.  G,  an  aboriginal  disturbance  having  enough  remaining  to  show 
the  body  had  been  at  full  length  on  the  back.  On  the  pelvis,  its  long  axis  cor 
responding  with  that  of  the  body,  was  an  agricultural  tool  of  shale,  1.5  foot  in 
length,  neatly  rounded  at  both  ends,  which  were  5.25  and  3  inches  in  width, 
respectively,  the  greater  width  being  ground  to  a  fairly  sharp  edge 

Burial  No.  15,  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  lying  at  the  bottom  of  a  grave  3  feet 
long  and  1  foot  10  inches  wide,  6  feet  from  the  surface,  the  grave  extending 

1  foot  4  inches  below  the  base.     At  the  neck  were  two  thick,  discoidal  beads  of 
copper. 

Burial  No.  16,  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  the  bones  of  the  left  forearm 
missing.  Corresponding  bones  of  a  left  forearm,  doubtless  the  missing  ones, 
were  in  the  soil  about  one  foot  above  the  burial,  which  lay  at  the  bottom  of  a 
pit  extending  about  2  feet  below  the  base,  8  feet  long  and  1  foot  10  inches  wide. 
In  the  grave,  beyond  the  head  and  the  feet,  respectively,  were  single  masses  of 
pure  clay.  In  front  of  the  face,  which  was  turned  to  the  right,  was  a  knife  or 
lancehead  of  flint,  2.8  inches  in  length.  Beyond  the  skull  was  a  celt  of  indurated 
shale,  9.1  inches  long.  To  the  left  of  the  pelvis  lay  a  mass  of  galena,  somewhat 
smaller  than  a  man's  fist. 

Burial  No.  18.  About  the  center  of  the  base  of  the  mound  and  in  contact 
with  Burial  No.  19,  with  whose  grave  No.  18  formed  a  right  angle,  was  a  skeleton 
extended  on  the  back  in  a  grave  distinct  in  the  red,  undisturbed  clay  (as  were 
all  the  graves  in  this  mound),  7  feet  long  by  2  feet  4  inches  in  width  and  extending 

2  feet  below  tin1  base.     At  the  head  was  a  mass  of  pure  clay,  and  four  small 
bits  of  galena  lay  together  at  the  right  of  the  pelvis. 

Burial  No.  19,  the  skeleton  of  an  adolescent,  lay  at  full  length  on  the  back 
at  the  bottom  of  a  grave-pit  5  feet  8  inches  long  by  1  foot  9  inches  in  width  at 
the  end  in  which  the  head  of  the  skeleton  lay,  the  foot  end  of  the  grave  being 
1  foot  5  inches  across.  This  pit  extended  1  foot  4  inches  below  the  base  of  the 
mound. 

Immediately  on  the  skeleton  and  in  contact  with  the  limits  of  the  grave 
on  all  sides,  was  a  layer  of  pure,  light  yellow7  clay  from  2  to  3  inches  in  thickness, 
which  contrasted  markedly  with  the  dark  clay  of  the  soil  around  it,  as  shown 
in  the  illustration  (Fig.  45),  where  the  parallelogram  is  clearly  noticeable.  At 
the  neck  of  the  skeleton  were  a  few  shell  beads,  badly  decayed. 

Burial  No.  20,  a  skeleton  at  full  length  on  the  back,  in  a  grave  0  foot  4  inches 
long  by  1  foot  5  inches  wide  and  extending  2  feet  below  the  base,  had  a  mass  of 
clay  at  the  head  and  another  at  the  feet.  In  the  same  grave,  its  skull  G  inches 
above  the  knees  of  Burial  No.  20,  was  the  skeleton  of  a  child  (Burial  No.  21) 
lying  in  reverse  direction  to  the  burial  beneath. 

25  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


274 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE    RIVER. 


Burial  No.  23,  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  in  a  grave  similar  to  others 
in  the  mound,  had,  beyond  its  feet,  a  mass  of  pure  clay  extending  across  the 
grave. 


•L 


FIG.  45. — Burial  No.  19,  a  skeleton  on  the  bottom  of  a  grave-pit.  The  grave  was  5  feet  8  inches 
long  and  1  foot  9  inches  wide.  The.  bones  were  covered  with  a  layer  of  pure  clay,  as  shown.  Lime 
stone  creek,  Ala. 

Burials  Nos.  24  and  25,  a  grave  2  feet  3  inches  long  by  1  foot  8  inches  wide, 
reaching  2  feet  2  inches  below  the  base,  contained  the  bones  of  an  adult  and  of  a 
child  in  no  order  whatever.  With  this  burial  were  four  shell  beads,  one,  one 
inch  in  length,  the  other  three  each  about  .4  inch  long.  There  were  also  two 
sections  of  columella,  one,  .75  inch  in  length,  bored  at  both  ends  but  without 


ABORKIINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


275 


perforation,  and  a  somewhat  shorter  section  in  which  no  boring  had  been  attempt 
ed.  With  these  also  were  five  sections  of  the  body-whorl  of  a  large  marine 
shell,  and  a  pendant  from  the  body-whorl  of  a  .similar  shell,  somewhat  less  than 
3  inches  in  length,  having  a  groove  for  suspension  at  one  end  and  a  part  broken 
from  the  other  extremity. 

Burial  No.  29.  This  skeleton,  extended  on  the  back,  lay  well  out  from  the 
center  of  the  mound  and  beyond  our  original  excavation,  at  the  bottom  of  a 
grave  8  feet  7  inches  in  length  and  2  feet  wide  at  the  base,  where  it  expanded 
slightly.  From  the  surface  of  the  slope  of  the  mound  to  the  bottom  of  the 
grave  was  10  feet  10  inches,  the  pit  extending  6  feet  10 
inches  below  the  base.  Well  up  in  the  grave  lay  a  skull,  and 
other  bones  were  scattered  around,  showing  this  deep  grave 
had  cut  through  one  or  more  graves  which  had  preceded  it. 
The  burial  at  the  bottom  of  this  grave  was  covered  with  a 
layer  of  light-colored  clay  having  a  maximum  thickness  of  o 
inches.  On  the  upper  surface  of  this  layer  was  the  skeleton 
of  a  child  about  8  years  of  age,  the  head  in  the  same  direc 
tion  as  that  of  the  skeleton  beneath. 

With  several  parts  of  skeletons  in  this  mound,  aboriginal 
disturbances,  were  masses  of  pure  clay. 

Apart  from  bones,  singly,  were  found  eight  arrowheads  or 
knives,  of  flint,  all  with  stems,  some  barbed,  two  serrated. 
One  of  these  latter  was  of  interest  from  the  fact  that  part  of 
its  pointed  end  having  split  away,  the  remainder  had  been 
serrated  along  the  'ine  of  fracture  to  continue  the  point  in 
use  (Fig.  46). 

There  was  also  in  the  mound,  probably  in  the  midden  debris,  the  jaw  of  a  dog. 

All  over  the  field  in  which  the  mound  was,  but  in  increased  numbers  in  its 
vicinity,  were  quantities  of  pebbles  and  fragments  of  stone,  much  of  which  was 
flint,  also  arrowheads  or  knives  in  considerable  numbers,  some  complete,  many 
broken.  Tn  addition  were  picked  up  at  this  site  a  muller  of  limestone,  a  celt 
of  claystone,  and  several  rude  implements  of  flint.  The  arrowheads  from  this 
place  do  not  include  any  small,  triangular  ones,  and  as  a  rule  are  stemmed,  some 
times  barbed  and,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  exhibit  little  evidence  of  careful 
workmanship. 

On  the  upper  side  of  Limestone  creek  where  it  joins  Tennessee  river,  in  view 
from  the  waters  of  both,  is  an  earthwork  in  the  form  of  a  four-pointed  star  sur 
rounded  by  a  ditch.  This  earthwork,  which  the  older  inhabitants  remember 
to  have  boon  thrown  up  in  the  Civil  War,  has  deceived  the  uninformed,  who 
have  dug  into  it  extensively. 

D\VKLI,IN(;-SITK    ON    THK    IIoPPEU   PLACE,    MADISON    COUNTY     ALABAMA. 

Opposite  Bluff  City,  on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  M.  Hopper,  who 
lives  somewhat  back  toward  the  hills,  is  a  large  field  bordering  the  river,  having 


FIG.  4fi. — Arrow 
head  of  flint,  show 
ing  secondary  work. 
Limestone  Creek, 
Ala.  (Full  size.) 


276  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER, 

a  sprinkling  of  shells  over  most  of  its  surface,  and  a  number  of  slight  rises  near 
the  water,  on  which  were  more  shells  than  elsewhere  in  the  field.  Artifacts 
were  singularly  few  on  the  ground,  almost  nothing  being  found  other  than  a 
few  small  fragments  of  pottery,  one  of  which  had  a  coating  of  red  pigment. 
Considerable  digging  at  this  place  yielded  neither  burial  nor  artifact. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  CATACO  CREEK,  MORGAN  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  the  lower  side  of  the  mouth  of  Cataco  Creek,  known  also  as  Tate  Creek, 
are  a  dwelling-site  and  an  aboriginal  cemetery  of  importance,  according  to  our 
agent  who  visited  them,  which  are  under  the  management  of  Mr.  J.  W.  Dunaway, 
of  Sommcrville,  Ala.  Permission  refused. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  SLAUGHTER  PLACE,  MORGAN  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  H.  B.  Slaughter,  of  Chicago,  111.,  of  which  Mr.  John 
Millow,  who  lives  on  the  place,  is  manager,  in  a  cultivated  field  were  two  mounds 
but  a  few  feet  apart,  about  one-quarter  mile  SW.  from  the  landing.  These 
mounds,  blunt  cones  and  symmetrical,  were  on  land  that  had  lately  been  cleared 
and  were  covered  with  the  stumps  of  large  trees.  Evidently  with  the  exception 
of  a  shallow  hole  in  the  top  of  the  larger  mound,  they  had  not  been  dug  into 
prior  to  our  visit.  Both  mounds  were  of  dark  clay,  of  rather  raw  appearance, 
without  admixture  of  midden  debris. 

MOUND  A. 

Mound  A,  7  feet  10  inches  in  height  when  measured  from  the  outside,  and 
50  feet  in  diameter  of  base,  was  dug  centrally  by  us  to  the  extent  of  an  excavation 
16  feet  square  which  showed  the  base  of  red  clay,  very  distinct  from  the  clay 
of  the  mound,  to  be  7  feet  2  inches  from  the  summit. 

Two  feet  down  was  a  deposit  of  pure,  gray  clay  differing  entirely  from  that 
of  the  mound,  4  feet  long  by  16  inches  wide  and  2  to  3  inches  in  thickness.  At 
one  end  of  this  were  grouped  together  twenty-five  masses  of  galena  (lead  sul 
phide),  the  largest  2.5  inches  by  1.5  inch  by  1.25  inch.  Beside  these  lay  a  copper 
celt  4.4  inches  in  length  and  2.5  inches  across  the  blade.  Most  careful  search 
for  traces  of  bones  was  made  in  connection  with  this  deposit,  but  not  even  crowns 
of  teeth  were  discovered,  though  without  doubt  a  burial  had  been  there. 

In  the  wall  of  the  excavation,  54  inches  down,  together,  were  a  mass  of 
galena  weighing  fourteen  pounds  and  an  interesting  celt  of  copper,  4.4  inches 
in  length  and  2.5  inches  in  maximum  width,  flat  on  one  side  and  convex  on  the 
other.  If  traces  of  bones  were  with  these  objects  not  any  were  noticed  in  the 
disturbance,  the  lead  and  the  copper  having  been  dislodged  by  a  blow  of  a  pick 
before  their  presence  in  the  wall  was  known.  However,  careful  investigation 
showed  that  no  fragments  of  bone  other  than  possibly  very  small  ones  accom 
panied  them. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER.  277 

Apparently  exactly  in  the  center  of  the  base  of  the  mound,  was  a  grave,  a 
blunt  oval  in  outline,  7  feet  long  by  5  feet  in  maximum  breadth,  very  distinctly 
defined.  This  grave,  whose  sides  did  not  converge,  extended  3  feet  4  inches 
into  the  undisturbed,  red  clay.  When  the  grave  was  dug  the  red  clay  had  been 
thrown  out  around  it  and  apparently  had  not  been  used  in  filling  it,  as  the  con 
tents  of  the  grave  consisted  of  the  dark  clay  of  the  body  of  the  mound. 

In  the  wall  of  the  grave,  on  one  side,  were  four  small  offsets  which  did  not 
extend  to  its  upper  level,  but  apparently  had  been  hollowed  out  after  the  grave 
had  been  dug.  No  bones  or  artifacts  were  discovered  in  them. 

About  centrally  on  the  base  of  the  grave  was  a  mass  of  pure,  gray  clay,  2 
feet  long  by  18  inches  wide  and  3  inches  thick.  In  this  clay  was  a  copper  celt 
3  inches  in  length  and  1.3  inch  in  maximum  width.  Almost  under  the  celt  was 
a  reel-shaped  ceremonial  ornament  of  sheet-copper  (Plate  V,  Fig.  2)  about  4 
inches  square  measuring  across  the  extremities,  the  longer  axis  of  the  body 
and  its  two  perforations  longitudinal  with  the  grave.  Beneath  this  ornament 
were  faint  traces  of  bone. 

MOUND  B. 

Mound  B,  G  feet  7  inches  high  when  measured  from  the  level  of  the  field 
and  35  feet  in  diameter  of  base  was  investigated  by  us,  a  central  excavation 
14  feet  square  being  sunk  to  its  base,  which  proved  to  be  slightly  more  than 
6  feet  from  the  summit. 

Nothing  was  discovered  in  the  body  of  the  mound,  but  almost  in  the  center 
of  the  base  was  an  oblong  grave  extending  E.  and  W.,  11  feet  5  inches  long  by 
6  feet  wide  at  the  top,  but  converging  to  5  feet  4  inches  by  3  feet  at  its  bottom, 
which  was  5  feet  below  the  level  of  the  base.  All  around  this  grave,  for  a  con 
siderable  distance,  was  piled  clay  taken  out  in  its  digging — red  clay  and  yellow 
clay,  the  red,  undisturbed  clay  having  been  dug  through,  and  a  lower,  under 
lying  clay,  yellow  in  color,  having  been  reached  and  thrown  out  above  the  red 
clay. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  grave  in  Mound  A,  apparently  little  if  any  of  the  earth 
that  had  been  thrown  out  in  digging  the  grave  in  Mound  B  had  been  used  to 
nil  it,  but  seemingly  the  building  of  the  mound  had  begun  over  and  around 
the  open  grave,  the  dark  material  composing  the  mound  filling  the  grave  also. 

On  the  base  of  this  grave,  though  not  completely  covering  it,  was  a  layer 
of  pure,  gray  clay,  about  4  inches  in  maximum  thickness,  of  the  kind  probably 
used  for  pottery  and  similar  to  the  clay  found  in  connection  with  burials  through 
out  this  region. 

Under  the  clay  layer,  about  2  feet  4  inches  from  the  eastern  end  of  the  grave, 
were  two  car-ornaments  of  sheet-copper,  of  the  spool-shape  variety,  lying  about 
such  distance  apart  as  the  breadth  of  a  skull  would  be.  Near  these  ornaments 
were  fragments  of  crowns  of  teeth,  stained  green  from  the  copper  salt. 

About  15  inches  farther  toward  the  foot  of  the  grave  were  the  fragments 
of  a  reel-shaped  ornament  of  sheet-copper,  badly  decayed,  which  evidently 


278  ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

had  rested  on  the  thorax  of  the  skeleton.  Enough  of  this  ornament  remained 
to  show 'that  the  longer  axis  of  its  body  and  the  two  perforations  had  rested 
transversely  to  the  skeleton. 

Farther  along,  following  down  the  line  of  the  burial,  the  margins  practically 
in  contact,  was  a  similar  copper  ornament  but  of  much  heavier  material.  The 
arms  of  this  ornament  had  been  folded  back,  one  above  the  other  across  its  body, 
evidently  ceremonially.  The  line  of  its  two  perforations  lay  across  that  of  the 
former  burial,  as  was  the  case  with  the  other  ornament. 

With  the  exception  of  part  of  a  drill  of  flint  there  were  found  in  these  mounds 
no  objects  or  fragments  of  stone  or  of  pottery,  save  in  a  small  pit  below  the  base 
of  one  of  them,  which  had  been  filled  with  midden  debris. 

DWELLING-SITE  AT  WHITE'S  FERRY,  MADISON  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

At  White's  Ferry,  on  property  of  Mr.  Lawson  White,  of  Huntsville,  Ala., 
is  a  dwelling-site  and  shell  deposit  similar  to  a  number  along  the  river  in  this 
region.  As  the  site  was  planted  in  grass  and  clover,  digging  was  out  of  the 
question. 

MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITE  ABOVE  CHUNN'S  LANDING,  MORGAN 

COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

About  one-half  mile  above  Chunn's  Landing,  in  full  view  from  the  water, 
are  a  mound  and  a  dwelling-site  of  considerable  size,  on  property  of  Mrs.  M.  L. 
Chunn,  living  near  at  hand.  The  mound,  which  has  an  attractive  appearance, 
is  about  5  feet  in  height  and  45  feet  in  diameter,  approximately.  Permission 
refused. 

MOUNDS  AND  DWELLING-SITE  ON  HOBBS  ISLAND,  MADISON  COUNTY, 

ALABAMA. 

About  one-quarter  mile  below  the  upper  end  of  Hobbs  Island  arc  two  mounds 
and  a  dwelling-site  on  property  belonging  to  Mrs.  F.  M.  Henderson,  of  Natchez, 
Miss.  We  were  unable  even  to  measure  the  mounds  at  this  place  (which  our 
agent,  before  our  visit,  estimated  to  be  16  feet  and  4  feet  in  height,  respectively), 
having  received  notice  from  the  owner  not  to  set  foot  upon  it. 

DWELLING-SITE  AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  FLINT  RIVER,  MADISON  COUNTY, 

ALABAMA. 

Immediately  at  the  union  of  Flint  river  with  the  Tennessee  is  an  area  of 
very  irregular  outline,  about  135  yards  by  85  yards,  thickly  covered  with  shells, 
on  the  property  of  Mr.  R.  A.  Parsons,  of  Taylorsville,  Ala.  This  aboriginal 
site  has  upon  it  at  present  various  structures,  and  at  the  time  of  our  visit  a  part 
of  it  was  in  use  as  a  vegetable  garden,  so  that  the  space  open  to  investigation 
was  somewhat  restricted. 


ABORIGINAL   SITE8   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  279 

At  a  point  where  there  seemed  to  be  a  rise  above  much  of  the  remainder 
of  the  site,  holes  were  put  down,  showing  the  deposit  to  be  almost  solid  shell 
at  first,  then  midden  soil  having  a  slight  admixture  of  shell,  this  underlaid  again 
by  shell,  the  whole  going  to  a  depth  of  6  feet  9  inches,  where  brown  sand  with 
occasional  shells  was  found — even  this  not  being  the  bottom  of  the  deposit. 

Realizing  that  search  at  this  depth  would  be  inadvisable  to  prolong,  owing 
to  the  time  required  for  holes  so  deep  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  burials  found 
had  nothing  with  them,  thirteen  trial-holes  only  were  sunk  in  this  higher  part 
of  the  site,  resulting  in  the  finding  of  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  26  inches  down; 
a  burial  closely  flexed  to  the  left  at  a  depth  of  22  inches;  a  skull  with  the  two  upper 
vertebrae,  4  feet  6  inches  from  the  surface;  a  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the  left, 
1  foot  down.  A  few  other  holes  were  sunk  in  outlying  parts  of  the  site,  but 
without  success. 

Forty  inches  deep  was  a  deposit  of  masses  of  sandstone  in  single  thickness, 
arranged  in  the  form  of  a  horizontal  triangle  except  for  the  projection  of  a  stone 
on  one  side.  This  irregular  triangle,  having  a  base  29  inches  in  extent  and 
an  altitude  of  31  inches,  rested  on,  though  it  did  not  completely  cover,  a  fireplace 
on  which  was  charcoal  and  ashes.  No  bones  were  discovered. 

A  number  of  coarse  arrowheads  and  knives,  of  flint,  were  picked  up  at  this 
place,  and  a  barrel-shaped  stone  (sandstone)  with  a  deep  depression  at  each 
end,  which  it  was  said  had  been  plowed  up  on  the  site,  was  acquired  there  by  us. 

In  the  digging  were  found  a  number  of  arrowheads  and  knives,  of  flint;  two 
neatly-made  piercing  implements  of  bone;  a  bone  needle  5  inches  in  length, 
having  an  eye  .1  inch  in  diameter.  The  discovery  of  a  needle  of  this  kind  has 
been  very  infrequent  in  our  archaeological  work. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  BEAN  ROCK,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  property  belonging  to  Mr.  John  Bogcnshott,  living  nearby,  along  the 
river  bank  below  Bean  Rock  and  in  sight  from  it,  has  been  an  aboriginal  place 
of  abode,  largely  of  sandy  loam  having  shell  here  and  there  over  small  areas. 
A  few  arrowheads,  broken  celts,  several  whole  ones,  and  bits  of  pottery  bearing 
a  small  check  stamp  were  found  on  the  surface.  There  were  also  noticed  on 
the  ground  part  of  a  human  tibia  and  a  number  of  slabs  which  presumably  had 
been  with  burials.  The  place  had  a  history  of  the  discovery  of  hundreds  of 
arrowheads  which  had  been  gathered  there  and  sold.  Numerous  trial-holes 
in  various  parts  of  this  site  resulted  only  in  the  discovery  of  the  skeleton  of  a 
child  46  inches  down. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  PAINT  ROCK  LANDING,  MARSHALL  COUNTY, 

ALABAMA. 

On  property  near  Paint  Rock  Landing,  belonging  to  Mr.  John  West,  of 
Guntersville,  Ala.,  is  a  small  camp-site  having  on  the  surface  little  other  than 
a  few  bits  of  undecorated  pottery  and  considerable  shell  in  places.  The  shell 


280  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

proved  to  be  in  deposits  about  one  foot  in  thickness,  below  which  was  midden 
soil  to  an  inconsiderable  depth.  We  were  unable  to  find  at  this  place  any  burial 
or  artifact,  with  the  exception  of  part  of  a  burial  near  the  surface,  the  rest  of 
which  doubtless  had  been  plowed  away. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  FOSTER  PLACE,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

Along  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  a  cultivated  field  forming  part  of  the  property 
of  Hon.  A.  M.  Ayers,  living  near  Guntersvillc,  Ala.,  is  a  small  camp-site  having 
some  midden  debris  on  the  surface,  and  in  places  restricted  areas  where  shells 
were  visible.  In  that  part  of  the  site  on  which  shells  were  not  apparent,  digging 
soon  reached  undisturbed  soil  and  no  burials  were  encountered. 

Numerous  holes  in  the  shell  deposits  came  upon  the  burials  of  three  adults 
and  a  child,  the  former  in  flexed  positions. 

Burial  No.  3  was  an  adult  flexed  on  the  right,  lying  at  the  bottom  of  a  grave 
28  inches  deep,  filled  with  shells  to  the  surface.  These  shells  were  without 
any  admixture  of  midden  soil  such  as  we  found  with  the  shells  in  the  general 
deposit. 

Burial  No.  4,  an  adult  in  the  same  position  as  the  other,  lay  in  a  grave  14 
inches  deep,  also  filled  to  the  top  with  shells  only. 

The  burials  at  this  site  were  widely  scattered;  in  all  events  careful  digging 
failed  to  find  any  in  groups. 

Thirty  inches  below  the  surface  was  a  slab  of  limestone  of  irregular  outline, 
2  feet  long  and  1  foot  wide,  approximately.  Under  this  slab  and  extending 
beyond  it  in  places,  was  a  deposit  of  shells,1  unmixed  with  midden  debris,  having 
a  maximum  thickness  of  5  inches,  made  up  of  some  musselshells  (Unio)  with 
an  unusual  proportion  of  univalves  in  addition,  the  musselshells  in  many  instances 
still  having  the  two  valves  in  apposition.  Below  this  deposit  no  burial  was 
found. 

One  of  our  trial-holes  came  upon  a  large  pit  which  had  become  filled  with 
refuse,  part-way  up  in  which,  as  though  lost  there,  was  a  celt  of  sedimentary 
rock,  9  inches  in  length. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  PENNEY  PLACE,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  the  Penney  Place,  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  E.  Penney,  of  Birmingham, 
Ala.,  in  full  view  from  the  river-bank,  did  not  trees  intervene,  is  a  small  ridge 
having  considerable  midden  debris  on  the  surface.  At  each  end,  though  not 
occupying  the  entire  extremities  of  the  ridge,  is  a  small  rise  containing  shell 
in  considerable  quantity  in  places.  These  rises,  which  are  25  yards  apart, 
contained  all  the  thirteen  burials  found  in  the  place,  with  one  exception,  a  de 
posit  of  fragments  of  cremated  bones  13  inches  by  8  inches  by  5  inches  in  maxi 
mum  thickness,  found  1  foot  3  inches  below  the  surface  in  the  ridge. 

1  A  selection  of  shells  from  this  deposit  included  the  following:  Unio  gibbosus,  U.  incrassatus, 
Dromus  dromus,  Pleurobcma  clava,  Truncilla  perplcxa,  Quadrula  pyramidata,  Obovaria  circulus,  Cam- 
peloma  ponderosum,  Pleurocera  filiim,  P.  ungulatum,  P.  iiobile. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  281 

The  remaining  twelve  burials,  some  near  the  surface,  some  in  deeper  graves, 
were  nine  of  adults,  one  of  an  adolescent,  two  of  children,  the  adults  and  adoles 
cent  all  in  some  form  of  flexion.  Two  came  from  the  more  northerly  rise,  the 
rest  from  the  one  at  the  other  extremity  of  the  ridge.  The  northerly  rise  was 
thoroughly  dug  through  by  us,  but  seemed  to  have  been  little  used  as  a  place 
of  burial;  a  large  pit,  however,  filled  with  refuse  was  discovered  in  it. 

The  more  southerly  rise  seemed  well  filled  with  interments,  and  as  parts  of 
it  were  not  explored  by  us  a  number  doubtless  were  left  behind. 

Burial  No.  2  was  at  the  bottom  of  a  pit  2  feet  11  inches  wide  by  4  feet  8  inches 
long,  these  dimensions  being  quite  sufficient  for  a  flexed  burial. 

Burial  No.  3,  without  any  sign  of  disturbance,  though  but  10  inches  below 
the  surface,  had  the  skull  alongside  the  pelvis. 

Burial  No.  6,  a  child,  had  in  association  an  undecorated  shell  gorget  (the 
only  object  found  with  a  burial  at  this  place),  oval  in  outline,  3.6  inches  by  2.7 
inches,  having  a  single  perforation  at  the  smaller  end. 

Burial  No.  10,  a  pit  5  feet  2  inches  deep,  the  contents  of  which,  consisting 
in  the  main  of  midden  debris,  could  be  traced  almost  to  the  surface,  had  its 
lower  20  inches,  immediately  over  the  skeleton,  filled  with  shell.  This  grave 
extended  2  feet  into  yellow,  undisturbed  soil. 

Burials  Nos.  11  and  12.  These  skeletons,  about  one  foot  apart  and  lying 
in  the  same  direction,  were  in  a  grave  34  inches  deep,  the  lower  foot  of  which 
had  been  filled  with  shells.  Though  considerable  digging  was  done  around 
the  upper  parts  of  these  skeletons,  no  skulls  were  discovered.  Presumably  the 
burials  had  been  made  without  them,  but  possibly  the  crania  had  been  removed 
in  the  digging  of  another  grave,  traces  of  which,  however,  were  not  apparent. 

Found  throughout  the  digging  were:  several  knives  of  flint;  a  small  anvil 
stone  of  sandstone;  several  piercing  implements  of  bone;  rude  agricultural  tools 
of  limestone;  an  undecorated  pipe  of  sandstone,  having  a  hole  for  a  stem  directly 
in  the  bowl. 

On  the  surface  was  a  fragment  of  pottery  bearing  a  complicated  stamp 
decoration,  the  tempering  being  apparently  finely  ground  particles  of  shell. 

MOUND    NEAR    GUNTERSVILLE.    ALABAMA. 

In  sight  from  the  steamboat  landing  at  Guntersville,  is  a  mound  on  property 
belonging  to  Mr.  Green  Seibold  of  that  place,  13.5  feet  in  height  and  having 
diameters  of  220  feet  and  180  feet.  The  mound,  which  has  been  badly  washed, 
has  had  a  fiat  top  and  evidently  has  been  a  quadrilateral,  domiciliary  mound. 
Three  frame  structures  upon  it  precluded  any  attempt  at  investigation. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  McKEE  ISLAND,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

McKee  Island,  a  short  distance  above  Guntersville,  belongs  to  Mr.  T.  B. 
Seibold,  who  resides  somewhat  back  on  the  mainland.  The  island,  about  one 
mile  in  length,  has  its  upper  third  low-lying,  and  separated  by  a  small  water- 

20  JOURN.   A.   X.   S.   I'HILA.,  VOL.   XVI. 


282  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

course.  The  remainder  of  the  island,  high  ground  and  fertile  soil,  has  a  ridge, 
probably  largely  natural,  extending  through  it  longitudinally,  easterly  and 
westerly,  somewhat  in  from  the  northern  side  of  the  island.  On  this  ridge  has 
been  a  dwelling-site  for  the  aborigines,  whose  occupancy,  no  doubt,  contributed 
somewhat  to  its  height. 

Along  the  middle  part  of  the  ridge  are  various  sites  once  occupied  by  wigwams, 
all  circular  so  far  as  we  could  determine,  except  one  which  was  square.  The 
sites  were  marked  by  depressions  and  had  been  surrounded  by  small  embank 
ments,  but  as  the  ground  had  been  under  cultivation  in  the  past,  exact  measure 
ments  were  not  obtainable.  Putnam1  describes  sites  of  this  kind,  "circular 
ridges  of  earth,"  which  were  investigated  by  him  in  middle  Tennessee  and  which, 
unlike  ours,  contained  objects  of  interest.  Graves  of  children  only  were  found 
by  him  in  these  sites. 

One  of  our  circular  depressions,  32  feet  in  diameter,  was  11  inches  below 
the  surrounding  level,  which  perhaps  included  part  of  the  original  embankment. 
Digging  in  this  site  disclosed  a  fireplace,  about  centrally  situated  made  up  of 
three  layers  of  burnt  clay  showing  the  level  of  the  fireplace  had  been  raised  from 
time  to  time.  Another  circular  site,  24  feet  across,  also  had  a  fireplace  in  the 
center,  approximately,  as  did  still  another  depression  30  feet  in  diameter  and 
1  foot  9  inches  deep. 

The  largest  site,  52  feet  square,  was  1  foot  8  inches  below  the  level  around 
it,  part  of  which  was  made  up  by  the  surrounding  embankment,  which  was  10 
inches  in  height,  so  that  the  actual  depth  of  the  site  below  the  general  level  was 
also  10  inches.  In  none  of  the  sites  was  any  burial  encountered;  nor  in  the 
largest  one,  though  carefully  dug  over,  was  any  fireplace  discovered,  but  it  is 
possible  that  what  was  sought  is  beneath  a  large  tree  growing  about  centrally 
in  the  depression. 

In  the  square  depression,  about  8  inches  below  the  surface  and  having  the 
shape  of  a  wide  ellipse  of  very  irregular  outline,  25  inches  by  27  inches,  was  an 
arrangement  made  up  of  a  single  layer  of  comparatively  small  slabs  and  masses, 
some  limestone,  some  quartzite,  all  placed  in  contact  one  with  another.  Pos 
sibly  bones  of  an  infant  had  decayed  away. 

On  the  ridge  we  have  described  no  mound  remained,  but  the  outer  part  of  a 
low  one,  which  had  been  perhaps  2  feet  in  height,  had  been  left  by  previous 
diggers,  who  had  piled  a  number  of  slabs  on  the  surface.  In  one  spot  remaining 
from  the  wreck  we  found  scattered  bones  of  a  child  below  slabs  of  stone.  These 
slabs  did  not  belong  to  an  arrangement  made  for  covering  a  particular  burial, 
but  formed  part  of  what  seemed  to  have  been  a  general  arrangement  in  the  cen 
tral  part  of  the  mound,  perhaps  covering  all  the  burials  in  it. 

1  Eleventh  Rep.  Pcabody  Mus.,  p.  347  et  seq.  Tidings  have  come  to  us  at  this  stage  of  the 
printing  of  our  report,  of  the  lamented  death  of  our  old  friend  Prof.  Frederic  Ward  Putnam,  which 
occurred  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  August  14,  1915.  Professor  Putnam  expressed  much  interest  in  this 
report  on  the  antiquities  of  a  state  in  the  archaeological  investigation  of  which  he  was  so  noted  a 
pioneer. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


283 


Between  where  the  wigwam  sites  were  investigated  and  the  remnant  of  the 
mound,  there  was,  on  the  ridge,  a  slight  rise,  but  not  of  sufficient  height  or  regu 
larity  to  entitle  it  to  be  called  a  mound.  Into  this  rise  a  large  number  of  trial- 
holes  were  sunk  by  us,  coming  on  six  burials,  as  follows: 

Burial  No.  1,  partly  flexed,  the  knees  to  the  right,  32  inches  down.  At  one 
side  of  the  skull,  or  of  what  remained  of  it  (for  the  burials  in  this  place  were 


KKJ.  47. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  No.  2.     McKee  Island,  Ala.     (Height  r>.2  inches.) 

batlly  decayed),  was  an  earthenware  bowl,  undecorated  save  for  a  rude  effigy 
of  a  human  head  which  projects  above  the  margin,  and  having  a  conventional 
tail  opposite.  On  the  other  side  of  the  cranium  was  a  pot,  its  body  encircled 
with  a  line  of  rude  knobs. 

Burial  No.  2,  a  child,  2  feet  deep,  at  the  head  being  a  stone  having  a  natural 
formation  consisting  of  a  deep  concavity.  On  the  other  side  of  the  head  were 
an  undecorated  bottle,  and  a  pot  having  horizontal  projections  around  the  rim, 
which  would  serve  to  keep  a  cord  in  place  (Fig.  47). 

Burial  No.  3,  partly  flexed  to  the  left.  Near  the  skull  was  an  undecorated 
bottle  of  excellent  ware,  having  a  wide  mouth  (Eig.  48). 

Burial  No.  4,  a  child,  having  at  the  skull,  which  was  stained  at  one  place 
by  salt  of  copper,  a  pot  with  two  loop-handles,  and  glass  beads  in  a  friable  con 
dition.  Near  what  probably  had  been  the  leg-bones  lay  a  broken  band  of  sheet- 
brass  curved  as  for  an  anklet. 


284  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  grave  extending  2  feet  into  undisturbed,  yellow  sand,  its 
depth  being  4  feet  8  inches,  contained  remains  of  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the 
right.  At  the  left  of  the  skull,  together,  were  a  deposit  consisting  of  four  dis- 
coidal  stones,  each  about  1.2  inch  in  diameter,  one  having  a  small  depression 
on  one  side;  a  lump  of  carbonate  of  lime;  two  small  masses  of  graphitic  material, 


FIG.  48. — Bottle  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  No.  3.     MrKee  Island,  Ala.     (Height  5.3  inches.) 

each  showing  smoothed  surfaces  whence  probably  parts  had  been  ground  off  for 
use  as  paint;  three  beautiful,  triangular  arrowheads  of  flint,  ranging  between 
1.8  inch  and  1.1  inch  in  length,  the  two  largest  having  long,  tapering  points 
and  serrated,  the  smallest  similar  but  to  a  modified  extent. 

Burial  No.  6,  partly  flexed  on  the  right. 

In  this  rise  also  were  two  arrangements  of  small  masses  and  slabs,  each  being 
about  20  inches  by  2  feet,  beneath  which  no  burials  were  found. 

With  no  burials  visibly  in  association  were:  a  beautiful  ceremonial  axe 
(Fig.  49),  probably  of  igneous  rock,  having  a  blemish  on  the  side  opposite  the 
one  shown  in  the  illustration,  7.1  inches  in  length  and  2.4  inches  across  the 
cutting  edge,  having  the  perforation  usual  in  these  pieces;  an  undecorated  pot 
with  two  loop-handles;  a  beautiful  little  implement  of  flint  with  expanding 
blade  and  curved  cutting  edge,  2.6  inches  in  length. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   T  KNNKSSKK    H1VER.  285 

In  this  rise  and  in  the  wigwam  sites,  found  separately,  were  eight  knives 
and  arrowheads  of  Hint,  two  of  the  latter  being  small  and  triangular. 

The  lower  part  of  the  ridge  presented  neither  wigwam  sites  nor  elevations. 
It  was  tentatively  dug  by  us,  but  no  sign  of  former  occupancy  was  apparent, 
even  the  surface  being  without  debris. 


FIG.  49. — Ceremonial  axe.     MeKee  Island,  Ala.     (Full  size.) 

The  pottery  from  this  entire  site,  with  one  exception,  was  of  coarse,  inferior 
ware,  some  sherds  showing  tempering  with  shell  and  a  small  proportion  of  gravel 
together.  Other  sherds  had  been  tempered  with  what  appeared  to  be  small 
masses  of  limestone,  which  react  to  acid  and  which  are  not  fragments  of  shell, 
their  shape  being  distinctly  different. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  SEIBOLD  PLACE,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

Also  belonging  to  Mr.  T.  B.  Seibold  is  an  aboriginal  site  in  a  large  field  on 
the  second  river  level,  on  the  mainland  opposite  McKee  Island.  This  site  has 
been  plowed  away  to  a  large  extent,  and  little  remained  to  mark  it  save  much 
debris  on  the  surface  and  a  stone  grave.  This  grave,  whose  upper  surface  was 
visible  in  the  field,  consisted  of  masses  of  rock  and  water-worn  boulders,  some 
double  the  size  of  a  man's  head,  many  much  smaller,  thrown  together  without 
much  attention,  two  and  three  deep.  This  arrangement  of  stone,  oval  in  out 
line,  7  feet  7  inches  long  and  5  feet  7  inches  in  maximum  width,  had  been  placed 
over  a  skeleton  lying  on  the  base  of  a  grave  extending  15  inches  into  undisturbed, 
underlying  clay.  The  skeleton,  however,  which  was  at  full  length  on  the  back, 
was  not  in  line  with  the  major  axis  of  the  oval,  but  diagonal  to  it,  the  skull  being 
toward  the  side  of  the  greater  end  of  the  oval,  the  body  extending  down,  the 
feet  near  the  smaller  end.  It  was  impossible  to  determine  the  original  depth 
of  this  grave,  so  much  had  been  removed  from  the  surface  of  the  field  by  cul- 


286  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

ti  vat  ion.     In  addition  to  the  15  inches  which  the  grave  extended  into  undisturbed 
ground,  there  were  5  inches  of  midden  soil  above. 

MOUNDS  ON  HENRY  ISLAND,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

Henry  Island,  owned  by  Mr.  Bryant  Henry,  of  Guntersville,  Ala.,  is  about 
three  miles  in  length.  About  half-way  up  the  island  is  a  mound  we  did  not  visit, 
said  to  have  a  large,  flat  top  on  which  are  three  buildings,  and  to  be  about  10 
feet  in  height. 

At  the  head  of  Henry  Island,  overlooking  the  water,  has  been  a  mound, 
presumably  quadrangular  with  flat  top,  10.5  feet  in  height.  Apparently, 
however,  more  than  two-thirds  of  this  mound  has  been  washed  away.  One 
diameter,  the  former  length  or  breadth  of  the  mound,  is  100  feet. 

At  the  foot  of  this  remnant,  in  a  cultivated  field,  itself  having  long  been 
plowed  over,  is  a  mound,  roughly  circular,  about  one  foot  in  height,  with  a  diame 
ter  of  45  feet.  This  mound  evidently  had  been  plowed  away  to  a  considerable 
extent.  There  is  a  history  of  stone  graves  discovered  in  it. 

Numerous  trial-holes  in  this  low  mound  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  nine 
burials.  The  first  seven  burials,  one  of  which  was  of  an  adolescent,  lay  five 
in  flexed  positions,  two  extended.  None  of  these  burials  lay  at  a  depth  greater 
than  slightly  more  than  4  feet.  The  skeleton  of  the  adolescent,  better  preserved 
than  were  the  other  burials,  was  3  feet  from  the  surface. 

One  of  the  burials  had  a  rude,  undecorated  pot  with  two  loop-handles;  another 
had,  near  the  skull,  a  delicate,  piercing  implement  of  bone  and  the  stem  of  an 
earthenware  pipe.  The  presence  of  these  two  objects  may  have  been  adventi 
tious,  however. 

Burial  No.  8.  Immediately  below  the  surface  was  a  stone  grave  6  feet 
8  inches  by  3  feet,  outside  measurement.  This  grave,  of  the  regular  stone-box 
variety,  was  made  of  limestone  slabs  carefully  arranged,  the  slabs  having  been 
set  a  number  of  inches  into  the  ground  below  the  base  of  the  grave,  which  was 
neatly  floored  with  slabs  in  contact,  the  small  spaces  between  the  larger  ones 
having  been  filled  with  fragments  of  suitable  size.  A  large,  single  slab  was 
upright  at  the  head,  which  was  directed  SE.;  another,  at  the  feet. 

The  covering  stones  had  in  part  fallen  in,  as  shown  in  our  illustration  (Fig.  50), 
the  exposed  space  at  the  head  of  the  grave  (which  is  to  the  reader's  right)  being 
caused  by  the  slipping  of  a  slab  which  had  dropped  upon  the  thorax  and  skull, 
crushing  the  cranium,  especially  the  facial  parts.  From  the  top  of  the  highest 
slab  to  the  upper  surface  of  the  bones  was  a  distance  of  1.5  foot. 

Within  the  grave,  whose  inside  measurements  were  5  feet  10  inches  by  2 
feet  2  inches,  and  1  foot  7  inches  deep,  measuring  from  the  top  of  the  highest 
slab  was  the  skeleton  of  an  adult  male,  extended  on  the  back  (Fig.  51).  Un 
fortunately,  the  slab  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  has  interfered  with  the  view  of 
the  legs  which,  of  course,  were  present. 

Following  the  curve  of  the  forehead,  on  which  it  rested,  was  an  ornament 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


287 


of  sheet-copper  which  had  been  square  or  oblong.  We  could  not  determine 
if  the  curve1  imparted  to  the  ornament  had  been  intentional  or  was  due  to  the 
slab  which  had  fallen  upon  it,  though  owing  to  a  certain  regularity  in  the  ap- 


FIG.  50. — Burial  Xo.  8.     A  stone  box-grave  6  feet  8  inches  by  3  feet,  outside  measurement.    This 
places  on  record  the  presence  of  the  stone  box-grave  in  Alabama.     Henry  Island,  Ala. 

pearance  of  the  curve,  we  believe  it  to  have  been  purposely  made  to  allow 
the  ornament  to  follow  the  outline  of  the  forehead  and  temporal  parts  of  the 
skull. 


288 


ABORIGINAL   RITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER, 


FIG.  51. — Burial  Xo.  $,  the  skeleton  lying  in  the  box-grave,  shown  after  the  removal  of  the  covering 
slabs.     Note  the  stone  flooring.     Henry  Island,  Ala. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


289 


The  ornament,  which  bore  a  repousse  design,  was  of  purely  aboriginal  make, 
having  the  material  pieced  together  here  and  there  with  the  aid  of  small  rivets, 
a  well-known  procedure  of  early  aboriginal  artisans  in  sheet-copper. 

The  metal,  unfortunately,  had  corroded  away  in  places  along  the  margin 
of  the  ornament  and,  in  addition,  went  into  fragments  on  removal,  though  the 
central  parts  by  good  fortune  were  less  badly  broken  than  were  the  outer  ones, 
as  it  was  centrally  the  principal  decoration  proved  to  be. 


FIG.  52. — Decoration  on  the  sheet-copper.     Henry  Island,  Ala.  (Full  size.) 

Most  of  the  principal  fragments  have  been  put  together  with  great  care, 
and  the  interesting  design  they  bear,  a  representation  of  the  head  of  a  man, 
so  nearly  as  it  can  be  made  out  after  careful  study,  is  faithfully  shown  in  Fig.  52, 

Burial  No.  9,  eight  inches  below  the  flooring  of  the  stone  grave,  was  the  skele 
ton  of  a  powerfully  built  male  at  full  length  on  the  back,  entirely  covered  by 
the  slabs  above,  except  the  skull  which  projected  beyond  the  head  of  the  super 
imposed  grave. 

The  site  on  Henry  Island  is  of  special  interest  in  that  the  stone  grave  found 

27  JOURN.   A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


290  ABORIGINAL   RITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

there  was  a  regular  stone  box-grave  found  in  Alabama,  a  State  from  which  no 
stone  graves  of  any  kind  had  been  reported  by  others,  hitherto. 

THE  RODEN  MOUNDS,  MARSHALL  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

About  3.5  miles  above  Guntcrsville,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
is  the  property  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Roden,  who  lives  upon  it,  widely  known  as  the 
Henry  Bottom  Place,  it  being  mainly  bottom-land  bordering  the  river  and 
having  formerly  belonged  for  many  years  to  a  family  named  Henry. 

About  one-quarter  mile  in  a  straight  line  NW.  from  the  landing  on  this 
place,  in  sight  from  the  river-bank,  on  the  low  slope  of  the  first  line  of  hills  rising 
above  the  alluvial  land  were  six  mounds,  within  a  few  yards  of  one  another  but 
not  in  line,  one  somewhat  elongated  and  resembling  a  ridge.  These  mounds 
had  all  been  under  cultivation  except  the  two  highest  (A  and  B)  which  a  cause 
way  two  or  three  yards  in  length  connected  though  two  others  (0  and  D),  we 
were  informed,  had  been  plowed  over  but  a  short  period  and  at  the  time  of  our 
arrival  at  the  place  they  were  covered  with  small  trees  and  underbrush.  The 
remaining  two  mounds  formed  part  of  the  field  in  which  they  were  and  regularly 
shared  in  its  cultivation. 

Mr.  Roden,  who  lives  on  the  property,  informed  us  there  was  no  history  of 
the  finding  of  aboriginal  artifacts  on  the  place,  though  masses  of  galena  had 
been  plowed  from  some  of  the  mounds. 

Investigation  showed  that  the  mounds  were  composed  of  rich,  dark  midden 
loam  and  of  raw  clay  taken  from  the  underlying  soil,  in  places.  Presumably 
the  mounds  were  built  when  the  site  was  covered  with  midden  loam  (which 
through  wash,  is  not  the  case  at  present),  and  those  carrying  material  took  it, 
some  from  the  surface,  some  from  the  underlying  clay  after  having  denuded 
the  surface  in  spots.  Thus,  as  a  result,  parts  of  a  mound,  as  stated,  were  of  one 
material,  parts  of  another. 

Individual  "dumps"  were  not  apparent  as  a  rule,  bands  of  workers  pre 
sumably,  as  a  general  thing,  having  gone  to  one  spot  for  material  collectively 
and  deposited  it  in  the  same  way. 

In  all  the  Roden  mounds,  very  generally  the  burials  were  mere  traces  of 
bones,  sometimes  only  fragments  of  skulls. 

MOUND  A. 

This  symmetrical  mound,  a  blunt  cone  50  feet  in  diameter  of  base,  9  feet 
6  inches  in  height  according  to  our  measurement  (the  surface  around  it  was  very 
irregular,  making  exact  figures  impossible),  but  proving  to  be  10.5  feet  from  the 
summit  to  the  base,  first  was  investigated  by  us  by  the  aid  of  a  central  excavation 
14  feet  square,  to  undisturbed,  underlying  soil,  light  in  shade,  and  then  was 
completely  dug  down. 

Altogether  sixty-four  burials,  some  represented  only  by  fragments  and  by 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVKK.  291 

traces  of  bone,  were  encountered  in  the  body  of  the  mound,  on  its  base,  and  in 
graves  extending  below  the  base,  of  which  twelve  were  determined  to  have 
been  of  infants  or  of  older  children.  All  burials  of  interest,  including  each  one 
accompanied  by  any  artifact,  will  be  described  in  detail. 

Burial  No.  1,  a  faint  trace  of  bones  3  feet  8  inches  down.  With  these  was 
a  celt  of  indurated  shale,  nearly  12.5  inches  in  length. 

Burial  No.  2,  mere  traces  of  bones  at  a  depth  of  slightly  more  than  3  feet. 
With  this  burial  lay  a  reel-shaped  ornament  of  copper,  about  G  inches  square, 
outside  measurement,  that  is  to  say  from  the  tips  of  the  arms.  There  are  two 
perforations  for  attachment  in  the  body  of  this  ornament. 

Burial  No.  5.  The  remains  of  this  burial  consisted  of  what  seemed  to  be 
traces  of  bones  adhering  to  what  was  left  of  an  ornament,  probably  a  reel-shaped 
one,  of  thin  sheet-copper,  corroded  through  and  through.  Near  this  ornament 
was  another  reel-shaped  ceremonial  of  thin  sheet-copper,  about  4  inches  square, 
having  two  perforations,  the  ends  of  the  arms  slightly  corroded  away.  A  some 
what  similar  ornament,  but  of  much  heavier  material,  4.5  inches  square,  having 
perforations,  was  thrown  out  by  the  digger  from  near  where  the  others  were 
found,  and  possibly  came  from  the  same  burial,  though  in  no  other  instance 
did  we  find  a  single  interment  so  richly  endowed.  An  arm  from  this  ceremonial 
was  missing  from  an  early  break,  the  edges  of  the  fracture  being  carbonated. 
With  the  two  copper  ceremonials  were  twenty  masses  of  galena,  the  largest 
about  the  size  of  a  child's  fist. 

In  no  mounds  explored  by  us  before  has  galena  (lead  sulphide)  figured  to 
anything  like  the  same  extent.  Some  of  the  masses  showed  facets,  while  others 
had  rounded  surfaces  indicating  that  the  deposit  which,  as  stated,  is  the  car 
bonate  of  lead,  the  white1  lead  of  commerce,  had  been  ground  off  for  use  as 
paint. 

Burial  No.  6.  This  burial,  of  an  adolescent,  6  feet  3  inches  down,  was  repre 
sented  by  fragments  of  bone  of  some  size  distinctly  traceable  and  in  much  better 
condition  than  were  most  of  the  bones  in  this  mound,  except  those  from  the  base, 
where  presumably  moisture  had  not  reached  them.  In  this  burial  a  skeleton 
extended  on  the  back  was  clearly  indicated.  Transversely  on  the  pelvis  lay  a 
copper  celt  7.25  inches  in  length  and  3.25  inches  across  the  blade.  Nearby 
lay  the  remains  of  a  conchshell  (Busycori)  from  the  Clulf. 

Burial  No.  8.  Small  fragments  of  bone  badly  decayed  but  indicating  the 
burial  of  an  adult  extended  on  the  back,  determined  by  the  relation  of  the  remains 
of  the  teeth  to  the  other  traces  of  the  skull,  lying  at  a  depth  of  (>  feet  10  inches. 
Where  the  thorax  had  been  were  fifty-one  small  beads,  short,  tubular,  of  thick 
sheet-copper,  the  cord  still  in  place  in  some  of  them. 

Burial  No.  9,  extended  on  the  back,  was  at  a  depth  of  8  feet  and  had  with 
it  a  fragment  of  shell  and  a  small  mass  of  almost  pure  carbonate  of  lime  of  the 
kind  we  shall  see  had  been  used  at  the  site  near  the  Cox  mound,  to  be  described 
in  this  report. 


292  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

Burial  No.  10,  a  skeleton  at  full  length  on  the  back,  10.5  feet  from  the  surface, 
in  a  grave  whose  beginning  was  not  noted,1  7.5  feet  long  by  22  inches  wide,  ex 
tending  8  inches  into  undisturbed  soil  below  the  base  of  the  mound. 

Around  and  above  the  skeleton  yellow  sand  to  a  maximum  depth  of  3  inches 
had  been  placed,  the  sand  totally  differing  from  the  soil  surrounding  it. 

In  a  pile,  arranged  one  above  the  other,  were  four  bracelets  of  copper,  each 
weighing  about  five  ounces  and  approximately  3  inches  by  3.75  inches,  made  by 
hammering  the  metal  over  on  itself  to  form  a  bar,  the  extremities  of  which  were 
bent  together,  bringing  them  almost  in  contact.  This  pile  of  bracelets  was  in 
part  covered  by  a  side  of  the  skull  which  rested  upon  them.  Back  of  the  cranium, 
as  if  having  formed  part  of  a  head-dress,  were  a  number  of  well-preserved, 
small,  shell  beads,  some  discoidal,  some  barrel-shaped. 

Burial  No.  11.  In  making  the  grave  for  Burial  No.  10  the  bones  of  a  child 
had  been  disturbed  and  scattered,  a  humerus  of  the  child  lying  near  the  skull 
of  the  adult  burial.  Other  bones  were  near  the  pelvis,  while  the  lower  jaw  of 
the  child  was  at  the  right  knee  of  the  later  burial. 

Burial  No.  12.  This  burial  lay  in  part  below  Burial  No.  10,  which,  however, 
it  had  not  disturbed  and  hence  had  been  interred  prior  to  Burial  No.  10. 

A  skeleton  fairly  well  preserved  lay  at  full  length  on  the  back,  in  a  grave 
7  feet  8  inches  long  by  2  feet  4  inches  wide.  The  depth  of  the  grave  from  the 
surfaces  was  12  feet,  the  two  lower  feet  extending  into  undisturbed  clay  beneath 
the  mound.  The  grave  was  filled  with  dark,  midden  debris  and  was  easily 
distinguishable  as  to  that  part  which  was  surrounded  by  the  light  subsoil.  On 
the  pelvis  was  a  reel-shaped  ceremonial  ornament  of  copper  (Plate  VI,  I  ig.  1), 
without  perforations,  6.8  inches  by  6.1  inches  over  all,  the  arms  of  the  ornament 
transverse  to  the  line  of  the  skeleton. 

Burial  No.  13,  a  child's  skeleton,  considerably  decayed,  lay  in  a  grave  10 
feet  from  the  surface,  extending  10  inches  into  the  light-colored  clay  beneath 
the  mound.  This  grave  had  been  filled  with  the  clay  dug  out  in  preparing  it, 
and  consequently  presented  no  contrast  to  the  clay  surrounding  it,  and  probably 
would  not  have  been  discovered  had  not  the  grave  been  somewhat  softer  than 
the  surrounding  material.  We  have  often  noted  that  graves  in  undisturbed 
soil,  when  filled,  though  probably  a  long  time  has  elapsed,  failed  to  pack  to  the 
same  consistency  that  the  ground  around  them  possesses. 

Buria's  Nos.  14  and  15,  one  of  a  child,  the  other  of  a  young  child  or  an  infant, 
both  in  graves  extending  below  the  base  under  conditions  similar  to  those  de 
scribed  in  connection  with  Burial  No.  13. 

Burials  Nos.  10  to  15,  inclusive,  were  all  within  a  few  feet  of  the  center  of 
the  base  of  the  mound.  All  burials  heretofore  described  were  reached  by  the 

1  No  grave  of  this  place  except  that  of  Burial  No.  47,  a  superficial  one,  was  determined  as  to  its 
starting  point  in  the  mound,  owing  to  prevailing  conditions,  though  it  is  very  probable  that  all  the 
graves  in  it  dated  from  the  period  of  its  beginning  or  from  an  early  stage  in  its  building,  as  the  very 
dark  material  witli  which  most  of  the  graves  were  filled  was  not  noted  extending  up  into  the  mounds 
for  any  considerable  distance. 


JOURN.  ACAD.   NAT.  SCI.  PHILA.,  2ND  SEP.,  VOL.  XVI 


PLATE  VI 


Af  i. 


1  AND  2.      KODKN    MOINDS.  MOIM)   A.  KKKI.-SH  AI'Kl)  ( )RN  AM  KN  l>  <  >l     (.Ol'l'l.k.      i  FULL  SIZE) 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  293 

preliminary  excavation.  All  described  from  now  on  were  encountered  while 
the  mound  was  in  process  of  demolition  from  the  circumference  of  the  base  in 
ward  to  the  central  excavation,  a  fact  which  should  be  borne  in  mind  in  connec 
tion  with  the  depths  of  burials  recorded. 

Xo  burial  was  encountered  until  digging  had  proceeded  some  distance  in 
ward.  Near  the  margin  of  the  base,  however,  a  curious  pit  was  found.  This 
pit  was  clearly  defined,  extending  3  feet  5  inches  into  undisturbed,  yellow  clay. 
The  length  of  the  pit.  5  feet  10  inches,  would  have  been  suitable  for  a  grave, 
but  the  width  was  only  10  inches.  No  bones  or  artifacts  were  present  in  this 
unusual  excavation,  though  very  careful  search  was  made. 

Burial  No.  17,  G  feet  4  inches  down,  under  the  slope,  consisted  of  fragments 
of  skull  ami  traces  of  femora  lying  on  the  base  of  the  mound.  Where  a  shoulder 
would  have  been,  had  it  not  in  all  probability  decayed  away,  was  a  mass  of  galena. 

Burial  No.  21.  In  a  grave  extending  below  the  base  and  traceable  up  into 
the  mound,  were  remains  of  a  ske'eton  having  a  few  discoidal  beads  of  shell, 
much  decayed,  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  22,  the  remains  of  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  in  a  grave  3  feet  9  inches 
by  1  foot  4  inches  and  extending  1  foot  into  undisturbed  soil  below  the  base 
of  the  mound,  which  here  was  6.5  feet  from  the  surface.  At  the  neck  were  a 
few  decaying,  discoidal  beads  of  shell,  and  at  the  right  thigh,  sixteen  small 
masses  of  galena. 

Burial  No.  23,  a  grave  extending  below  the  base  of  the  mound,  holding  traces 
of  a  skull  and  femora.  Near  the  bones  was  a  mass  of  galena,  weighing  more 
than  ten  pounds,  the  largest  found  at  this  place  by  us. 

Burial  No.  26,  a  grave  extending  1.5  foot  below  the  base,  containing  the 
remains  of  a  skeleton  having  near  the  head  twenty-four  small  bits  of  galena. 

Burial  No.  35,  fragments  of  a  skull,  having  the  remains  of  a  femur  immediately 
beneath  it,  and  some  fragments  of  a  large  marine  shell. 

Burial  No.  40,  the  remains  of  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  in  a  grave  below  the 
base.  Nearby,  in  fragments,  was  a  large  marine  shell  (Cassis  tuberosa)  which, 
perhaps,  had  been  a  drinking-cup,  and  thirteen  small  masses  of  galena. 

Burial  No.  41,  7.5  feet  down,  shown  by  fragments  to  have  been  extended 
on  the  back.  At  the  head  and  at  the  feet  was  a  mass  of  pure  clay. 

Burial  No.  44.  Well  in  the  body  of  the  mound  were  the  remains  of  a  skull, 
near  which  were  fragments  of  a  large,  marine  univalve  and  five  shells,  some 
much  decayed,  which  had  been  pierced  for  stringing,  like  beads. 

Now  the  members  of  our  expedition,  from  long  experience,  are  familiar  with 
the  small,  marine  shells  (Marginclla  and  Olivella,  and  the  larger  Oliva  shell) 
often  used,  when  pierced,  by  the  aborigines,  in  place  of  beads,  but  in  the  case 
of  these  shells  with  the  skull  it  was  evident  we  had  to  do  with  a  kind  we  had 
never  seen  in  the  mounds  before. 

The  shells  were  carefully  labeled  by  the  present  writer,  and  after  our  return 
to  the  north  were  shown  to  Dr.  H.  A.  Pilsbry,  at  our  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences 


294  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

who  at  once  pronounced  them  to  be  Cyproea  moneta,  or  the  cowry  shell  of  Africa 
and  the  East. 

As  the  discover}-  of  these  shells  had  never  before,  we  believe,  been  recorded 
as  having  been  found  in  an  aboriginal  mound  or  grave  in  the  United  States 
(we  have  made  but  few  inquiries  as  to  the  records  of  other  regions),  and  as  our 
most  careful  investigation  of  the  Roden  mounds  indicated  that  these  had  been 
built  before  their  makers  had  any  intercourse  with  white  persons,  except  for 
the  presence  of  these  cowries,  their  discovery  became  an  interesting  matter 
and  they  were  sent  to  Dr.  W.  H.  Ball,  at  the  United  States  National  Museum. 

We  quote  by  permission  a  letter  from  Doctor  Dall  on  the  subject: 

"I  should  incline  to  the  belief  that  the  cowries  were  imported  in  or  about 
the  time  of  Columbus'  voyages.  Bound,  as  they  supposed,  for  the  Indies, 
where  the  cowry  was  formerly  (like  our  wampum)  a  staple  article  of  barter, 
the  exploring  vessels  would  undoubtedly  have  carried  cowries  as  well  as  the 
other  articles  of  trade  we  know  they  carried.  It  would  not  have  taken  them 
long  to  find  out  that  cowries  did  not  pass  as  currency  with  American  natives 
and  reporting  this  on  their  return  to  Spain  later  traders  would  not  have  carried 
them  for  barter.  The  necklace  or  bracelet  you  obtained  may  have  passed  from 
hand  to  hand  as  a  curiosity  (as  I  have  known  such  things  to  do)  until  it  reached 
a  people  who  knew  nothing  of  the  whites  'till  much  later.  In  fact  your  cowries 
may  have  come  off  one  of  Columbus'  own  vessels!" 

From  Mr.  Charles  C.  Willoughby  we  have  the  information  that  in  the  Peabody 
Museum,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  is  a  dress  of  a  Cree  woman,  collected  by  the  Lewis 
and  (lark  expedition  in  1804-1805.  On  this  dress  arc  four  dozen  cowry  shells, 
perforated.  Mr.  Willoughby  has  described  the  dress  and  figured  it,1  but  the 
cowry  shells  in  question  are  on  the  side  of  the  dress  not  shown  in  the  photograph 
and  take  the  place  of  the  upper  row  of  brass  buttons  on  the  dress. 

The  shells  found  by  us  differ  from  those  on  the  Cree  dress,  which  arc  of  a 
larger  variety  and  much  more  distinctly  humped  than  are  our  shells,  ours  being 
of  the  variety  atava  as  described  by  Rochebrune,'2  who  says  they  come  from  the 
Cape  Verde  Islands.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  in  our  present 
state  of  knowledge  as  to  the  cowry  shell,  Cyprcca  moneta  of  Africa  and  the  East, 
one  cannot  give  exact  distribution  as  to  special  forms.  Hence  neither  our  shells 
nor  those  on  the  Cree  dress  can  now  be  proved  to  have  come  from  the  same 
or  from  different  regions. 

Mr.  Willoughby  believes  that  cowry  shells  were  sold  to  the  Indians  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  late  in  the  eighteenth  or  early  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

Our  attention  has  been  called  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Wintembcrg  to  a  paper  by  Prof. 
Henry  Montgomery3  wherein  is  noted  the  superficial  discovery  of  a  cowry  shell 

1  "  American  Anthropologist,"  1905. 

2  Bulletins  dc  la  Societe  Malacologiquc  do  France,  Vol.  I,  1SS4,  p.  S3,  plate  1,  fig.  4. 

3  "  Recent   Arclueological  Investigations  in  Ontario,"  Transactions  of  the  Canadian  Institute, 
Toronto,  1010,  Vol.  IX,  Part  I,  No.  20,  p.  7,  Fig.  6,  PL  IV. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  295 

near  the  so-callod  Onatonabce  Serpent  Mound,  Peterboro  County,  Ontario. 
The  shell  described  by  Professor  Montgomery  is  a  regular  ('ij/>rnn  n/mtcta,  or 
money  cowry  of  Africa  and  the  East,  and  not  a  California  shell.  This  shell, 
which,  by  the  way,  is  not  pierced  for  stringing,  is  probably  one  from  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  stock.  We  do  not  think  the  sale  of  cowries  to  Indians  in  the 
North  at  a  comparatively  late  date  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  indicates  a 
relatively  recent  origin  for  the  Roden  mounds,  for,  at  a  period  when  the  supplies 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  could  have  reached  the  makers  of  the  Roden 
mounds,  articles  of  European  make  could  have  got  among  them  from  all  directions 
and  the  mounds  presumably  would  have  been  well  supplied  with  glass  beads, 
brass,  iron,  and  other  things  obtained  from  European  sources  which,  as  we  see, 
was  very  far  from  being  the  case. 

Burial  No.  47,  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  comparatively  well-preserved,  having 
with  it  an  oblong  section  of  looking-glass,  glass  beads,  a  few  beads  made  from 
marine  shells,  a  small  discoidal  stone,  an  undecorated  shell  gorget  about  3 
inches  in  diameter. 

As  this  burial,  having  some  objects  obtained  from  Europeans,  was  but  1 
foot  8  inches  from  the  surface  of  the  mound,  we  consider  it  intrusive  and  by  no 
means  fixing  the  period  when  all  other  burials  in  the  mound  were  made.  No 
other  burials  were  in  graves  except  those  beneath  the  base  of  the  mound,  while 
the  shallow  grave  containing  this  comparatively  modern  burial  was  clearly 
traceable  from  the  surface. 

Burial  No.  51.  This  grave  was  dug  into  before  its  nature  was  determined, 
it  having  been  filled  with  clay  removed  from  below  the  base  when  the  grave 
was  dug,  and  contrary  to  the  usual  custom  this  material  had  been  used  to  fill 
the  grave  rather  than  the  dark  midden  soil  of  which  the  lower  part  of  the  mound 
largely  was  composed.  Near  fragments  of  skull  was  a  reel-shaped  ornament 
of  sheet-copper,  about  5  inches  square,  which  in  part  lay  over  a  copper  celt, 
5.4  inches  in  length  and  1.9  inch  across  the  cutting  edge. 

This  grave  was  within  a  very  short  distance  from  where  our  original  ex 
cavation  ended,  as  were  all  other  burials  in  this  mound  detailed  from  now  on. 
Had  our  excavation  been  made  slightly  larger,  we  would  have  found  everything 
of  interest  present  in  the  mound,  though  it  took  us  forty-six  hours'  steady  digging 
with  eight  trained  men  to  find  this  out. 

Burial  No.  52.  Extending  below  the  base  of  the  mound  was  a  small  grave 
which  evidently  had  been  that  of  a  child,  though  all  trace  of  bone  had  disappeared. 
The  grave  was  filled  with  very  dark  midden  soil  including  small  fragments  of 
pottery.  Cutting  into  this  grave,  but  not  going  through  it,  was  another  grave 
containing  the  remains  of  a  skeleton  at  full  length  on  the  back,  at  whose  right 
thigh  was  a  large  marine  shell  (Cassis  tuberosa)  in  fragments,  which  may  have 
been  a  drinking-cup,  though  not  enough  of  the  shell  remained  to  determine 
the  fact. 

Burial  No.  53,  traces  of  a  skull  on  the  base  and  nearby  a  small  mass  of  what 


296  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

proved  to  be  almost  pure  carbonate  of  lime.  In  the  site  on  Mason  Island, 
already  described  in  this  report,  we  have  seen  that  this  material  was  put  to 
practical  use. 

Burial  No.  58,  represented  by  crumbling  crowns  of  teeth,  so  far  as  the  skull 
was  concerned,  though  traces  of  thigh-bones  were  discovered  in  place,  near 
which  were  sixteen  small  masses  of  galena.  Near  the  teeth  was  a  copper  celt 
3.2  inches  in  length  and  1.3  inch  across  the  cutting  edge,  two  masses  of  galena, 
and  fragments  of  an  undecorated  vessel  of  earthenware.  This  burial  lay  in 
the  body  of  the  mound  4  feet  from  the  surface. 

Burial  No.  59.  On  the  base  lay  fragments  of  a  skull  having  nearby  fifty-one 
beads  of  copper  (as  in  another  deposit),  each  about  .3  inch  in  transverse  section 
and  .2  inch  in  height. 

Burial  No.  61.  In  the  body  of  the  mound  were  some  particles  of  bone  ap 
parently  preserved  by  the  proximity  of  a  copper  celt  3.6  inches  long  and  1.7 
inch  in  maximum  width. 

Burial  No.  62,  some  fragments  of  bones  lying  almost  immediately  under 
Burial  No.  61  and  having  in  association  a  reel-shaped  ornament  of  heavy  sheet- 
copper,  5.5  inches  by  5.2  inches,  having  two  perforations.  This  ornament, 
which  neither  pick  nor  spade  had  approached,  the  earth  near  it  having  been 
removed  with  a  trowel,  had  received  about  the  center  a  furious  blow,  possibly 
the  impact  of  an  arrow  or  the  thrust  of  a  spear,  and  had  been  so  nearly  broken 
thereby  that  the  two  parts  of  it  had  divided  when  corrosion  had  set  in,  though 
they  lay  in  complete  contact  in  the  ground.  The  blow,  of  course,  may  have 
been  a  ceremonial  one,  but  separation  had  not  taken  place  previous  to  interment. 

Burial  No.  64,  fragments  of  bones  in  the  body  of  the  mound,  accompanied 
by  a  celt  of  indurated  shale,  10.75  inches  in  length,  asymmetrical,  and  having 
various  superficial  depressions  which  a  careful  workman  would  have  ground  away. 

In  the  mound  were  encountered,  in  addition  to  that  of  the  infant  of  which 
mention  has  been  made,  several  empty  graves,  as  follows,  from  which,  beyond 
question,  the  bones  of  former  occupants  had  disappeared  through  decay:  a 
grave  7  feet  long  by  about  2  feet  in  width,  extending  1  foot  9  inches  into  undis 
turbed  clay  beneath  the  base,  contained  nothing  beyond  a  mass  of  galena  2.5 
inches  by  2  inches  by  1.5  inch,  flat  on  two  opposite  sides,  the  circumference 
artificially  rounded,  and  part  of  an  arrowhead  of  flint;  a  small  grave  evidently 
intended  for  a  child  contained,  when  found,  only  a  few  small  masses  of  galena; 
another  small  grave  extending  beneath  the  base,  as  did  the  others,  held  neither 
artifact  nor  trace  of  bone. 

In  the  body  of  the  mound  had  been  a  burial  resembling  Burial  No.  10  in  this 
mound,  in  that  a  skeleton  evident!}'  had  been  interred  in  sand  and  entirely 
differing  from  the  material  making  up  the  mound.  In  this  sand,  in  which  no 
bones  were  found,  were  seventeen  masses  of  galena  and  a  reel-shaped  ornament 
of  thick,  sheet-copper  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  2),  3.1  inches  by  2.8  inches,  having  two 
perforations. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  297 

Found  in  the  soil  apart  from  bones,  though  probably  in  some  instances 
marking  the  presence  of  former  burials,  were:  ten  arrowheads  or  knives,  of  flint, 
found  .separately;  a  considerable  number  of  masses  of  galena,  separate  as  a  rule, 
though  sixteen  were  found  together;  a  small,  rude  chisel  of  indurated  shale. 

MOUND  B. 

The  story  of  Mound  B  is  soon  told. 

This  mound,  practically  contiguous  to  Mound  A,  was  48  feet  in  diameter;  its 
height  from  the  outside,  where,  as  in  the  case  of  Mound  A,  the  surface  was  irregular, 
was  7  feet  9  inches.  Inside  measurement  from  the  summit  to  the  base,  which 
was  marked  by  undisturbed,  yellow  clay,  proved  the  altitude  to  be  9  feet. 

An  excavation  16  feet  by  20  feet,  put  down  centrally  to  the  base,  came  upon 
eighteen  burials,  traces  and  small  fragments  of  bones,  such  as  were  encountered 
by  us  in  the  body  of  Mound  A,  four  of  the  burials  being  in  graves  extending 
into  the  soil  below  the  base  of  the  mound.  In  addition,  a  grave  like  the  rest 
had  lost  its  burial  through  decay. 

Artifacts  with  the  burials  were  as  follows: 

Burial  No.  1,  a  mere  trace  of  bones  2  feet  8  inches  down,  had  two  small 
masses  of  galena  and  a  few,  small,  tubular  beads  of  sheet-copper  much  corroded. 

Burial  No.  2,  a  faint  trace  of  bones  and  the  crown  of  a  tooth.  With  these 
were  a  number  of  masses  of  galena  not  in  a  deposit  but  short  distances  apart, 
and  several  tubular  beads  of  sheet-copper.  This  burial  lay  2  feet  10  inches 
below  the  surface,  and,  like  Burial  No.  1,  presumably  had  been  much  deeper, 
the  peak  of  the  mound  having  worn  away. 

Burial  No.  13,  six  feet  deep  and  represented  by  fragments  of  a  skull,  the 
remainder  of  the  burial  presumably  having  decayed  away.  Near  where  a  fore 
arm  would  have  been  was  a  celt  of  indurated  shale,  9.5  inches  in  length. 

Burial  No.  14,  a  skull  in  fragments,  9  feet  down,  with  which  was  a  rude 
sphere  of  galena  about  2  inches  in  diameter 

Burial  No.  16,  a  grave  5.5  feet  in  length  by  20  inches  in  width  and  7  feet 
8  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  mound,  the  lower  10  inches  extending  into 
undisturbed  clay.  On  the  bottom  of  this  grave  had  lain  a  skeleton  of  which 
only  fragments  of  the  skull  remained.  Transversely  under  the  skull  was  a  celt 
of  indurated  shale  (a  material  which  seemed  to  predominate  in  this  region), 
more  than  10  inches  in  length,  very  rudely  made,  having  rough  depressions  on 
both  sides,  giving  the  implement  an  unfinished  appearance,  though  a  part  chipped 
from  the  cutting  edge  showed  it  to  have  been  considered  fit  for  use. 

Scattered  throughout  the  mound  were  various  masses  of  galena  apart  from 
burials.  Together,  but  with  no  bones  in  association,  though  no  doubt  a  burial 
had  been  present,  were  a  few  small,  tubular  beads  of  sheet-copper,  badly  corroded, 
and  four  masses  of  galena.  Two  arrowheads  or  knives  of  nint  were  found  sepa 
rately  in  the  soil,  as  was  a  small  and  very  rude  celt  and,  at  a  depth  of  7  feet,  a 
strip  of  thick  sheet-copper,  twisted  and  curved  in  an  irregular  fashion. 

28  JOURN.   A.   X.   S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


298  ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

MOUND  C. 

Mound  C,  7  feet  6  inches  in  height  measured  from  the  outside,  though  from 
the  top  to  undisturbed  clay  at  the  center  of  the  base  it  proved  to  be  6  feet  9 
inches,  and  with  diameters  of  base  of  43  feet  and  73  feet,  had  its  central  part 
to  the  extent  of  12  feet  square  dug  out  by  us  to  the  base. 

Traces  of  seven  burials  were  encountered,  none  at  a  depth  less  than  5  feet 
2  inches. 

Three  graves,  each  about  20  inches  in  width  and  ranging  between  6  feet 
and  6  feet  9  inches  in  length  were  found,  extending  below  the  base  to  depths 
between  1  foot  and  1.5  foot  approximately,  one  grave  being  nearly  central  in  it. 

In  these  graves  were  small  fragments  and  faint  traces  of  bones,  in  one  in 
stance  indicating  that  a  burial  had  been  extended,  as  was  probably  the  case 
with  the  other  two.  The  burial  in  question,  if  our  belief  as  to  its  position  is 
correct,  had  a  mass  of  galena  at  the  pelvis  and  two  others  at  the  right  of  the  skull. 

Here  and  there  in  the  mound,  apart  from  burials,  were  found:  fragments 
of  an  ornament  of  sheet-copper;  three  separate  masses  of  galena;  thirteen  small 
masses  of  lead  sulphide  in  a  deposit,  the  largest  about  2  inches  in  diameter,  of 
irregular  shape. 

MOUND  D. 

This  mound,  5  feet  in  height  and  38  feet  in  diameter  of  its  circular  base, 
was  surrounded  and  completely  dug  down  by  us,  the  work  being  carried  on  at 
a  level  below  that  of  the  base,  which  proved  to  be  5  feet  7  inches  below  the  sum 
mit  of  the  mound. 

No  burial  was  encountered  until  a  point  12  feet  from  the  center  had  been 
reached.  The  burials  found,  thirteen  in  number,  ranging  in  depth  between 
2  feet  8  inches  and  6  feet  10  inches,  were  so  badly  decayed  that  small  fragments 
and  mere  traces  only  were  observable.  It  is  probable,  so  minute  were  some  of 
the  parts  representing  skeletons,  that  burials  escaped  our  notice,  though  with 
these  presumably  no  imperishable  artifacts  can  have  been. 

In  two  instances  burials  were  found  where  it  was  evident  skeletons  had  not 
been  interred  in  anatomical  order.  In  one  case  remains  of  a  thigh-bone  lay 
near  fragments  of  a  skull.  In  another  were  foot-bones  beside  the  remains 
of  a  cranium. 

Several  burials  were  on  or  near  the  base,  two  being  in  shallow  graves  below 
it,  one  of  which  we  shall  particularly  describe. 

Burial  No.  13,  radiating  from  the  center  of  the  base  of  the  mound,  the  head 
end  directed  from  it,  was  very  distinctly  marked,  the  black  material  filling 
the  grave  contrasting  with  the  bright  underlying  clay  into  which  the  grave 
had  been  dug  to  a  depth  of  1  foot  3  inches.  Its  shape  was  oblong;  its  length, 
6  feet  9  inches;  its  width,  23  inches.  In  the  grave  were  found  a  skull  in  small 
fragments,  teeth,  a  trace  of  bone  here  and  there. 

With  one  burial,  32  inches  deep,  were  fourteen  masses  of  galena  covered  with 
a  coating  of  lead  carbonate  (white  lead,  a  paint),  as  was  most  of  the  galena  from 


ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  299 

those  mounds.  Eight  of  these  masses,  the  largest  of  which  was  2.5  inches  by 
2  inches  by  1.5  inch,  were  somewhat  scattered;  the  rest  were  in  a  group. 

With  the  same  burial,  probably,  all  together,  were  forty-eight  small  masses 
of  galena  and  a  reel-shaped  ornament  of  sheet-copper  having  one  of  the  arms 
corroded  away. 

With  another  burial  was  a  similar  object,  the  sheet-copper  being  considerably 
thicker.  In  this  one  two  perforations  are  present,  the  other  being  without 
them.  A  third  reel-shaped  ornament  of  hammered  copper,  without  perforations, 
differed  somewhat  in  shape  from  the  others;  like  them  it  lay  near  human  remains. 
The  measurements  of  these  objects,  respectively,  are:  3.2  inches  by  3.0  inches; 
2.8  inches  by  4.8  inches;  3.4  inches  by  6.3  inches. 

Away  from  human  remains  were:  two  masses  of  galena  found  separately; 
a  spike-shaped  arrowhead,  another  with  concave  base,  both  of  flint;  a  celt  of 
indurated  shale,  11  inches  long  and  2.4  inches  in  maximum  width,  which  lay 
10  inches  below  the  surface  and  may  possibly  have  been  placed  with  a  burial, 
traces  of  which  were  not  discovered. 

MOUND  E. 

Mound  E,  evidently  much  spread  by  cultivation  and  reduced  in  height, 
had  diameters  of  40  feet  and  50  feet,  its  height  being  5  feet.  A  measurement 
taken  later  from  the  summit  to  the  base  gave  the  same  result. 

A  central  excavation  20  feet  square,  which  probably  included  most  of  the 
original  mound,  although  burials  were  encountered  to  the  very  edge  of  the  digging, 
was  put  down  to  the  base. 

Twenty  burials,  often  merely  indicated,  or  represented  by  parts  of  a  skull, 
lay  in  the  mound,  on  its  base,  and  in  a  few  instances  in  graves  extending  below 
the  base. 

A  single  mass  of  galena  lay  near  each  of  two  burials;  in  one  instance  a  mass 
of  pure  clay  had  been  interred  near  a  skull. 

Burial  No.  2,  of  which  only  a  skull  remained,  had  near  it  on  one  side  an  asym 
metrical  celt  of  indurated  shale,  12.75  inches  in  length,  and  on  the  other  side  a 
mass  of  pure  clay. 

Burial  No.  6  had,  near  fragments  of  a  skull  and  with  traces  of  other  bones, 
a  rude  discoidal  of  galena. 

Burial  No.  7,  a  child,  the  only  one  noted  in  the  mound,  had  at  the  neck  a 
number  of  tubular  beads  of  sheet-copper,  badly  decayed;  another  burial  had  a 
few  similar  beads. 

Burial  No.  10,  a  grave  5  feet  10  inches  from  the  surface,  extending  1  foot 
below  the  base,  8  feet  by  2  feet  10  inches  in  size,  contained  fragments  of  human 
bones  indicating  a  burial  at  length.  Near  traces  of  the  skull  was  a  sheet  of 
mica  of  irregular  outline,  about  5.5  inches  by  5.75  inches,  on  which  were  two 
small  masses  of  galena. 

Burial  No.  10,  fragments  of  a  skull  only,  having  beside  it  a  rude  agricultural 
tool  of  shale,  9.5  inches  in  length  and  4.1  inches  in  maximum  width. 


300  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER, 

Several  masses  of  galena  were  found  separately  in  the  mound  apart  from  bones 
as  were  three  arrowheads  or  knives  of  flint  and  a  small  and  very  rude  celt  of 
indurated  shale,  roughly  chipped,  without  polish  save  at  the  cutting  edge1. 

Lying  diagonally  in  the  mound  with  the  extremity  of  one  of  its  arms  at  a 
level  with  the  surface,  was  a  reel-shaped  ornament  of  sheet-copper  about  4 
inches  square,  having  two  perforations.  This  ornament  had  been  struck  by  a 
plow  presumably,  with  a  resultant  bending  of  two  of  the  arms. 

In  earth  that  had  been  thrown  out  was  found  an  oblong  bead  of  sheet-copper, 
1.25  inch  long,  .5  inch  in  width,  flat  on  two  opposite  sides.  The  bead  had  been 
shaped  in  the  usual  manner  by  overlapping  the  sheet-metal. 

MOUND  F. 

Mound  F,  seemingly  three  mounds  or  humps  merged  in  part,  had  its  maximum 
height  and  width,  4.5  feet  and  65  feet,  respectively,  near  the  western  extremity, 
whence  it  sloped  downward,  tapering  considerably  toward  the  eastern  end. 
Its  length  was  170  feet.  Cultivation  had,  no  doubt,  greatly  changed  its  original 
proportions. 

In  the  highest  hump,  centrally,  an  excavation  25  feet  by  29  feet  was  put 
down  and  carried  below  the  base,  showing  the  mound  to  be  about  the  height 
of  its  outside  measurement. 

Twelve  burials,  affected  to  almost  the  last  stage  of  decay,  were  encountered, 
as  follows: 

Burial  No.  1,  the  remains  of  a  skull,  2  feet  down. 

Burial  No.  2,  a  skull  in  the  body  of  the  mound  at  a  depth  of  2  feet,  having, 
where  the  neck  would  have  been,  two  undecoratcd  discs  of  shell,  one  about  2.5 
inches  in  diameter,  the  other  somewhat  smaller.  These  discs,  which  were 
badly  decayed  and  in  fragments,  each  had  two  perforations.  There  was  also 
near  this  skull  a  mass  of  pure  clay. 

Burial  No.  3,  at  the  bottom  of  a  grave  26  inches  across  and  40  inches  in  length, 
extending  16  inches  into  the  undisturbed  soil  below  the  mound,  was  what  decay 
had  left  of  a  sheet-copper,  reel-shaped  ornament,  having  two  perforations. 
Below  it,  preserved  by  the  copper  salt,  was  a  small  fragment  of  a  long-bone, 
all  that  remained  of  the  skeleton  which,  judging  from  the  size  of  the  grave,  had 
been  that  of  a  child. 

Burial  No.  4.  At  the  bottom  of  a  grave  similar  to  so  many  found  at  this 
place,  were  traces  of  a  skull.  Above  the  skeleton  had  been  a  thin  deposit  of 
pure  clay. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  grave  apparently  made  by  digging  from  the  original  surface 
of  the  site  through  4  or  5  inches  of  midden  deposit,  which  had  been  present  at 
this  part  of  it,  to  undisturbed  clay.  At  the  bottom  of  the  grave  a  layer  of  pure, 
yellow  sand,  about  .5  inch  in  depth,  had  been  placed.  On  this  the  skeleton, 
if  we  may  judge  by  the  skull  and  faint  traces  of  other  bones  indicating  a  skeleton 
at  length,  had  been  placed  and  over  it  had  been  deposited  a  layer  of  pure  clay, 
varying  in  thickness  between  1  and  3  inches. 


ABORIGINAL   SITKS   OX   TKXXKSSKK    RIVER.  :;<)! 

Burial  Xo.  (i,  a  grave-pit  7  feet  2  inches  dee]),  extending  26  inches  into  un 
disturbed  soil,  3  feet  broad  by  11  feet  in  length,  there  being  considerable  space 
between  where  the  skull  had  been  and  the  head  of  the  grave.  This  burial, 
represented  by  part  of  a  femur,  and  then,  at  the  proper  distance,  by  teeth  and 
other  parts  of  the  skull,  at  each  side  of  which  had  been  a  spool-shaped  ear 
ornament  of  sheet-copper,  one  of  which  had  discolored  the  adjacent  temporal 
bone,  had,  near  the  head,  a  rudely-rounded  mass  of  galena  about  .'5..")  inches  in 
diameter.  On  the  space  where  the  thorax  must  have  been  were  two  reel-shaped 
ornaments  of  sheet-copper,  both  having  two  perforations,  one  of  the  ornaments 
being  somewhat  decayed  as  to  two  of  its  arms.  One  of  these  objects,  which 
is  intact,  3.9  inches  by  4.5  inches,  lay  beside  the  other,  that  is,  the  two  trans 
versely  as  to  the  skeleton,  having  about  one  inch  of  space  between  them.  One, 
however,  had  been  placed  with  its  two  perforations  in  line  with  the  burial. 
while  the  perforations  of  the  other  ornament  were  transverse  to  the  longer  axis 
of  the  interment.  With  these  ornaments  was  matting  preserved  by  the  copper 
salt. 

Immediately  alongside  Burial  Xo.  0,  and  having  no  partition  between,  was 
a  grave  of  the  same  length  as  that  of  Xumber  6,  but  6  inches  deeper  and  1  foot 
6  inches  narrower.  Xo  human  bones  were  present  in  this  grave.  In  connection 
with  these  two  graves  were1  two  excavations,  seemingly  post-holes,  the  exact 
use  of  which  was  not  determined. 

Burial  Xo.  7,  a  grave  below  the  base,  in  which  were  faint  traces  of  bones, 
two  masses  of  galena,  and  a  lump  of  clay  at  one  end. 

Burial  Xo.  8,  a  grave  extending  into  undisturbed  soil,  containing  a  fragment 
of  femur  and  a  bit  of  humerus  with  which  was  part  of  a  large  eonchshell,  badly 
decayed. 

Burial  Xo.  9,  a  grave  n  which  only  crowns  of  teeth  were  found,  having  a 
large  mass  of  galena,  and  a  quantity  of  pure  clay  at  one  end. 

Burial  Xo.  10,  fragments  of  a  skull  at  a  depth  of  3  feet. 

Burial  X"o.  11,  parts  of  a  skull  and  fragments  of  other  bones,  4.5  feet  deep, 
on  the  base  of  the  mound.  Over  this  burial,  which  had  been  under  a  thin  stratum 
of  pure  clay,  was  a  mass  of  galena. 

Burial  Xo.  12,  a  grave  in  which  was  simply  a  fragment  of  bone  lying  beneath 
a  layer  of  clay.  A  mass  of  galena  was  in  this  grave. 

There  was  also  in  the  mound  a  grave  having  pure  clay  at  each  end,  but  in 
which  no  bones  were  discovered. 

A  number  of  masses  of  galena  were  scattered  through  the  mound,  some 
carefully  rounded.  Also  one  arrowhead  was  found,  and  a  celt  of  indurated 
shale,  8.5  inches  in  length,  which,  no  doubt,  belonged  to  a  burial  that  had  left 
no  trace. 

Then*  was  also  present  in  the  mound  a  mass  of  soft  material  about  2.5  inches 
by  1.5  inch  by  1  inch,  through  which,  for  some  purpose  unknown  to  us,  a  hole 
had  been  made.  This  material  has  been  determined  bv  Doctor  Keller  to  be 


302  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

an  earthy  variety  of  anglesite,  or  sulphate  of  lead,  which  could  have  been  used 
as  paint,  gray-white  in  shade. 

In  the  second  hump  of  Mound  F  a  hole  10  feet  square  was  put  down  through 
the  base  this  hump  having  almost  the  same  height  as  the  one  already  described, 
resulting  in  the  discovery  of  three  burials. 

Burial  No.  1,  fragments  of  a  skull  20  inches  deep. 

Burial  No.  2,  traces  of  a  skull  in  a  grave  extending  8  inches  into  undisturbed 
soil. 

Burial  No.  3,  a  grave  having  at  one  end  a  mass  of  pure  clay,  but  containing 
only  a  fragment  of  long-bone. 

There  was  also  a  grave  7.5  feet  by  2  feet  and  8  feet  deep,  3  feet  8  inches  of 
which  extended  into  undisturbed  clay  below  the  base.  Though  a  mass  of  clay 
was  in  this  grave,  no  bones  were  discovered. 

In  the  smallest  hump  an  excavation  10  feet  square  came  upon  four  burials. 

Burial  No.  1,  a  skull  in  the  body  of  the  mound  accompanied  by  clay. 

Burial  No.  2,  a  grave,  the  base  of  which  was  44  inches  from  the  surface,  con 
taining  only  remains  of  a  skull,  near  which  was  a  mass  of  pure  clay.  Where 
the  pelvis  doubtless  had  been  was  a  celt  of  copper  3.5  inches  in  length  and  1.5 
inch  across  the  cutting  edge.  In  the  soil  filling  the  grave,  which  was  2  feet 
9  inches  wide  by  8  feet  8  inches  long,  was  a  mass  of  galena. 

Burial  No.  3,  a  grave  4  feet  deep  containing  two  skulls,  one  just  above  the 
other,  the  lower  accompanied  by  a  mass  of  clay,  the  other  having  a  fine  spear 
head  of  flint,  6.4  inches  in  length.  This  spearhead  apparently  had  been  broken 
in  two  parts  ceremonially,  the  fragments  lying  a  considerable  distance  apart. 
The  grave,  smaller  than  many  in  the  mound,  was  2  feet  3  inches  wide  by  7  feet 
in  length.  It  extended  1  foot  2  inches  into  undisturbed  soil. 

Burial  No.  4,  a  grave  containing  a  faint  trace  of  bones,  and  a  mass  of  clay 
at  each  end. 

MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITE  ON  PINE  ISLAND,  MARSHALL  COUNTY, 

ALABAMA. 

This  island,  about  four  miles  long,  locally  well  known  as  a  place  where  abo 
riginal  bones  and  artifacts  have  been  plowed  up,  is  owned  by  Mr.  J.  ('.  Guntcr, 
of  Bridgeport,  Ala. 

At  the  very  upper  end  of  the  island  (save  a  small  area  washed  in  flood-time 
until  its  level  is  far  below  that  of  the  rest  of  the  land)  is  the  remainder  of  what 
has  been  a  mound  of  considerable  size,  of  which  probably  not  one-third  remains, 
three  sides  and  much  of  the  body  having  washed  away.  What  is  left  of  the 
mound  has  a  height  of  about  8  feet  above  the  general  level,  though  one  taking 
the  altitude  from  the  low-lying  ground  at  the  extreme  upper  end  of  the  island, 
which  is  immediately  at  the  farther  side  of  the  mound,  would  of  course  obtain  a 
height  far  in  excess  of  that  we  have  given.  It  was  impossible  to  arrive  at  any 
estimate  of  the  original  diameters  of  the  mound.  No  digging  was  attempted 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  303 

in  this  remnant,  as  it  served  as  a  kind  of  bulwark  to  stay  the  rush  of  water  in 
times  of  freshets,  and  as  the  mound  probably  had  been  of  the  domiciliary  class 
it  is  unlikely  much  would  have  been  gained  from  digging  it,  even  had  it  been 
intact. 

Beginning  immediately  at  the  lower,  or  down-river,  side  of  the  mound,  is  a 
great,  level  space  about  one-half  mile  in  length,  broadening  as  the  island  expands 
from  its  pointed  extremity,  and  having  over  the  surface,  here  and  there,  frag 
ments  of  flint  or  of  coarse,  shell-tempered  pottery.  Judging  from  its  appearance, 
all  this  area  has  been  an  aboriginal  dwelling-site  presumably  containing  scattered 
burials  which  doubtless  were  more  condensed  in  several  low  rises  and  ridges, 
none  probably  more  than  one  foot  in  height,  to  be  seen  at  intervals  over  the 
field. 

Unfortunately,  all  this  site  was  planted  in  grass,  though  we  obtained  the 
privilege  to  dig  through  two  spaces  in  it,  one  50  feet  by  60  feet  enclosing  a  small 
rise,  and  another  50  feet  square  which  included  part  of  a  ridge,  both  being  but 
a  short  distance  from  the  mound. 

In  the  rise  were  eighteen  burials,1  of  which  thirteen  were  of  adults,  one  of 
an  adolescent,  and  five  of  infants  or  of  older  children.  Of  the  adult  burials 
eleven  were  of  the  flexed  variety,  one  was  extended  on  the  back,  one  was  a  dis 
turbance.  The  adolescent  lay  at  full  length  on  the  back. 

These  burials  were  grouped  toward  the  center  of  the  rise  and  lay  from  near 
the  surface  to  a  depth  of  nearly  6  feet,  this  latter  measurement  being  of  a  grave 
extending  8  inches  into  undisturbed  sand.  In  other  parts  of  the  rise,  however, 
made-ground,  which  in  places  had  at  its  base  4  or  5  inches  of  broken  mussclshells 
and  loamy  sand,  of  which  latter  material  the  made-ground  was  mainly  composed, 
had  a  depth  of  more  than  6  feet. 

It  seemed  to  us,  however,  that  the  deposit  in  this  place  was  not  entirely  due 
to  aboriginal  occupancy,  as  thin  layers  were  present  in  the  lower  part  of  it  which, 
being  of  pure  sand,  might  have  been  deposited  by  the  river  in  high  water,  while 
that  part  of  the  site,  though  occupied,  was  lower  than  it  is  at  present.  However, 
we  could  not  definitely  determine  this  matter. 

The  burials  in  the  rise  apparently  had  been  made  in  shallow  graves  at  various 
periods  in  the  growth  of  the  site,  as  above  some  of  these  graves  was  undisturbed 
soil  of  considerable  depth. 

We  shall  now  describe  each  burial  from  the  rise  that  presented  any  feature 
of  interest,  including  all  with  which  artifacts  were  found. 

Burial  No.  1,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  having  at  the  head  a  fairly  symmetrical 
bottle  with  wide  mouth,  undccorated  and  of  inferior  ware. 

Burial  No.  4,  at  full  length  on  the  back,  the  arms  and  forearms  alongside 
the  trunk.  Crossing  the  right  forearm,  the  cutting  edge  inward,  was  a  beautiful 
ceremonial  axe  of  indurated  shale,  G.9  inches  in  length,  having  a  countersunk 

1  Burial  No.  5  included  a  child  and  an  infant. 


304 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


perforation  as  shown  in  Fig.  53.  At  the  left  of  the  skull  was  a  mass  of  red  pig 
ment,  hematite,  and  various  small  fragments  of  mica  were  on  the  thorax  and 
left  shoulder' 

Burial  No.  5.  At  the  bottom  of  a  pit,  5  feet  9  inches  from  the  surface,  was 
an  arrangement  of  slabs  and  masses  of  rock,  limestone,  sandstone,  quartzite, 
in  double  thickness  in  some  instances,  rudely  oblong  but  tapering  somewhat 
at  one  end.  This  aggregation  of  slabs  and  masses  was  34  inches  in  length, 
14  inches  and  9  inches  across  the  ends,  respectively;  its  depth  from  the  surface 
was  3  feet  10  inches. 


- 


FKI.  ">.'}. --Ceremonial  axe.     With  Burial  Xo.  4.     Pine  Island,  Ala.      (Full  size.) 

Lying  transversely  at  the  wider  end  was  the  skeleton  of  an  infant,  and,  in 
addition,  with  its  feet  toward  the  back  of  the  first  burial  and  in  part  under  the 
same  arrangement  of  stones,  which  was  without  interval  and  undoubtedly  made 
at  the  same  time,  was  the  skeleton  of  an  older  child,  closely  flexed,  its  lower 
extremities  and  the  lower  part  of  the  trunk  covered  by  the  stones,  the  remainder 
of  the  bones  extending  out  from  one  side  of  the  arrangement  of  stones,  though 
a  space  16  inches  in  length  under  one  end  of  the  arrangement  was  unoccupied, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  54.  Evidently  the  burials  had  been  placed  in  the  bottom  of 
the  pit  and  perhaps  covered  with  a  few  inches  of  earth,  and  presumably  the 
arrangement  of  the  stones,  though  well-intended,  had  not  followed  the  position 
of  one  of  the  bodies. 

Burial  No.  9,  a  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the  left  side,  lying  slightly  in  a 


:  NAT.  SGJ-.'  PHILA  ,  2ND  SER.,  VOL.  XVI 


PLATE   VII 


1.  SITE  ON   PINE  ISLAND,  CEREMONIAL  AXE.     (FULL  SIZE) 

2.  MOUND  ON  THK   HISS  PLACE,  CEREMONIAL  AXE.     (FULL  SIZE) 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


305 


diagonal  position,  the  head  higher  than  the  pelvis.  Inverted  over  the  skull, 
the  upper  part  of  the  thorax,  and  the  proximal  end  of  the  humerus,  was  a  frag 
ment  representing  more  than  one-half  of  a  rude,  undecorated  bowl  that  had 
been  14  inches  in  diameter. 


Scale  in  feet 


FIG.  54. — Burial  Xo.  5.     The  slabs  and  skeletons  lie  in  a  horizontal  plane.     Pine  Island,  Ala. 

Here  we  observe  a  kind  of  urn-burial  in  Alabama,1  a  state  noted  for  this 
class  of  interments. 

Burial  No.  10,  closely  flexed  on  the  left  side,  a  coarse  bowl  having  rude  knobs 
on  the  side,  back  of  the  skull,  shell  beads  at  the  right  and  left  wrists. 

Burial  No.  13,  a  young  child  having  shell  beads  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  14,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  having  an  undecorated  bottle  of 
coarse  ware  with  discoidal  base  at  the  outer  side  of  the  knees.  Vertical,  near 
the  skull,  a  flat  side  parallel  to  the  cranium,  was  a  ceremonial  axe  of  indurated 
shale,  7.6  inches  in  length  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  1). 

At  the  outer  side  of  the  right  forearm  and  parallel  to  it  was  a  deposit.  First 
were  two  celts,  one  upon  the  other,  the  cutting  edges  directed  toward  the  hand. 
Next  in  order  outward  was  a  narrow  celt  or  chisel,  beneath  which  were  numerous 
fragments  of  chert.  Below  these  again  lay  a  small  chisel.  All  these  implements 
were  of  indurated  shale.  Next  were  five  bone  implements,  in  fragments,  having 
nearby  a  mass  of  graphite  about  the  size  of  an  infant's  hand.  Under  the  imple 
ments  and  the  graphite  were  additional  fragments  of  chert.  These  fragments, 
fifty-seven  in  all,  were  none  larger  than  2  inches  by  1  inch  and  from  half  to  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 

Away  from  burials,  in  the  soil,  were:  a  fragment  having  belonged  to  a  very 
large  vessel  and  having  attached  to  it  a  massive  loop-handle;  a  small  discoidal 
stone;  a  fragment  of  sheet-copper;  a  small  cone  of  sheet-copper,  formed  by 
overlapping  one  edge  above  the  other;  a  single  glass  bead. 

'See  our  article  "Urn-burial"  in  the  "Handbook  of  American  Indians." 
29  jorux.  A.  N.  s.  ]>nir,.\.,  VOL.  xvi. 


306  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

In  that  part  of  the  ridge  investigated  by  us  were  twenty  burials :  nine  of  adults, 
one  of  an  adolescent,  ten  of  infants  or  of  older  children.  Seven  adults  and 
one  adolescent  had  been  buried  in  forms  of  flexion.  One  adult  lay  extended 
on  the  back,  while  one  rested  at  length  as  far  as  the  knees,  the  legs  being  closely 
flexed  against  the  thighs. 

Burials  Nos.  19,  a  child,  and  28,  adult,  flexed,  had  each  a  shell  ear-plug  of 
the  pin  variety  in  place  at  either  side  of  the  head.  In  addition,  the  latter  burial 
had  under  the  chin  a  shell  gorget  2.7  inches  by  2.2  inches  with  excised  spaces 
and  an  engraved  design  on  the  concave  side  representing  a  rattlesnake  (Fig.  55) , 


FKI.  55. — Shell  gorget,  rattlesnake  design.  With  Burial  Xo.  28.  Pine  Island,  Ala.  (About 
full  size.) 

not  the  conventional  serpent  such  as  we  sometimes  see  on  gorgets  from  Tennessee, 
but  an  attempt  to  portray  the  snake,  similar  to  some  we  have  found  and  to  those 
shown  by  Holmes  in  Plates  LXII  and  LXV  of  his  "  Art  in  Shell."  The  specimen 
found  at  this  place,  however,  is  the  rudest  attempt  of  the  kind  with  which  we 
are  familiar. 

Burial  No.  20,  flexed,  had  quantities  of  beads  made  from  the  marine  shell 
Marginella,  these  particular  shells  seemingly  having  been  selected,  as  their 
average  size  is  unusually  large.  They  are  in  excellent  condition.  Under  the 
left  shoulder  was  a  celt  of  iron  or  of  steel,  3.25  inches  in  length,  and  a  tomahawk 
of  the  same  material  showing  where  the  handle  had  been  at  the  back,  the  blade 
expanding  to  a  cutting  edge. 

Burial  No.  22,  a  child  extended  on  the  back,  had  at  one  side  of  the  skull  a 
rude  bowl  with  a  small  degree  of  incised  decoration  around  the  opening,  and 
at  the  other  side  of  the  skull,  a  pot  with  two  loop-handles,  undecorated  save 
for  four  knobs  around  the  body.  In  this  vessel  was  a  musselshell  (Unio).  At 
one  side  of  the  head  was  an  ear-ornament  of  the  shell-pin  kind,  its  companion 
lying  broken  under  the  skull.  An  undecorated  bowl  having  two  loop-handles 
rested  on  the  thighs. 

Burial  No.  23,  a  child  having  at  the  neck  twenty  shell  beads  ranging  in  length 


ABORIGINAL   SITKS   ON    TKXNKSSKK    RIVER. 


.307 


between  .5  inch  and  1.1  inch,  the  latter  being  sections  of  the  columclla  of  the 
conch.  With  these  were  two  Olira  shells  pierced  for  stringing. 

Burial  No.  26,  a  child  near  whose  body  had  been  placed  an  undecoratcd 
bowl.  A  spoon  carved  from  a  mussclshell  lay  at  the  pelvis. 

Burial  No.  27,  a  child.  At  the  skull  was  an  undccorated  pot,  having  had 
two  loop-handles,  one  of  which  is  missing. 


FIG.  .")(>.  —  Vessel  of  earthenware.      With  Hurial  Xo.  29.     Pine  Island,  Ala.      (Height  5.0  inches.) 

Burial  No.  29,  flexed,  had  at  the  left  shoulder  a  vessel  bearing  a  small  amount 
of  incised  decoration,  shown  in  Fig.  56  as  illustrating  the  best  of  the  ware  from 
this  place.  The  skull  of  this  skeleton  was  saved. 

Burial  No.  32,  a  child,  having  at  the  neck  seven  marine  shells  (Olira  sayatxt) 
pierced  longitudinally  for  use  as  beads,  and  in  front  of  the  face  an  undecorated 
pot  with  one  of  two  handles  missing. 

Burial  No.  33,  a  child.  At  the  neck  were  two  shell  beads  of  fair  size,  and 
at  the  head  an  undccorated  vessel  with  two  handles,  containing  a  decaying 
musselshell  that  no  doubt  had  served  as  a  spoon. 

Burial  No.  38,  a  child  about  eight  years  of  age,  lying  at  a  depth  of  4  feet  4 
inches.  From  the  neck  to  the  pelvis  and  at  the  knees  were  quantities  of  glass 
beads  and  a  few  of  .shell.  Across  the  chest,  in  line,  near  other  beads  were  four  discs 
of  shell,  the  largest  2.2  inches  by  1.8  inch  in  diameter,  each  having  a  perforation 
on  two  opposite  sides  near  the  margin  and  showing  where  a  cord  had  extended 
across  the  front.  With  these  ornaments  were  two  tubular  beads  of  shell,  each 
2  inches  in  length.  On  each  forearm  was  heavy  iron  wire  twisted  to  form  a 


308  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

kind  of  bracelet.  At  the  feet  was  a  deposit  of  eight  small,  triangular  arrowheads 
of  flint,  all  pointing  in  the  same  direction. 

Three  feet  from  the  surface,  forming  almost  an  oval  2  feet  by  1  foot  2  inches, 
had  been  arranged  a  slab  of  quartzite  about  half  covering  one  of  limestone. 
Below  these  slabs  no  burial  was  found. 

Objects  apart  from  burials  were:  a  rude,  undecorated  pot  near  a  fireplace; 
several  small  knives  of  flint;  a  small  drill  of  the  same  material;  a  diminutive 
boss  of  impure  sheet-silver,  centrally  perforated;  an  undecorated  bowl  about 
6  inches  in  diameter,  inverted;  a  barrel  50  inches  in  length,  having  belonged  to  a 
flint-lock  firearm.  This  barrel  had  a  smooth  bore  and  was  of  iron,  not  of  steel. 
No  remnant  of  the  stock  remained,  nor  was  the  lock  present,  and  it  is  possible 
that  the  barrel,  which  was  only  1.5  foot  below  the  surface,  may  not  have  formed 
part  of  the  aboriginal  deposit.  The  jaw  of  a  black  bear  came  from  midden 
debris  at  this  site. 

DWELLING-SITES  NEAR  GARLAND'S  FERRY,  JACKSON  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  property  belonging  to  Mrs.  Hattie  Garland,  of  Scotsboro,  Ala.,  are  three 
small  dwelling-sites  in  cultivated  land,  and  two  others,  much  smaller,  which 
were  not  investigated. 

A  few  yards  from  the  river  and  about  50  yards  SW.  from  where  it  is  joined 
by  a  channel  draining  rain-water  from  the  hills,  is  a  circular  patch  covered  with 
fragments  of  shell  and  having  a  small  proportion  of  other  midden  debris.  Its 
diameter  is  about  35  feet.  On  the  surface  lay  four  slabs  which  the  tenant  oc 
cupying  the  property  informed  us  he  had  struck  with  a  plow  and,  upon  removing 
them,  had  uncovered  a  skeleton. 

Twelve  burials  were  found  in  this  slight  rise — ten  of  adults,  two  of  children, 
one  burial  including  two  children.  These  burials  were  of  the  usual  flexed  var 
ieties,  including  a  number  of  disturbed  bones,  and  as  a  rule  lay  on  the  original 
surface,  having  over  them  only  about  one  foot  of  earth,  though  no  doubt  con 
siderably  more  had  covered  them  prior  to  the  cultivation  of  the  field.  Several, 
however,  lay  in  pits,  one  of  which  was  3  feet  deep. 

Burial  No.  2,  a  child,  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  had  a  mass  of  stone  which 
had  been  placed  in  the  ground  diagonally  in  a  way  to  cover  the  pelvis  and  the 
lower  extremities,  which  were  drawn  up,  as  of  necessity  in  a  closely-flexed  burial. 
A  smaller  mass  of  stone  was  above  the  upper  part  of  the  skull,  the  lower  portion 
of  which,  as  well  as  the  trunk,  being  unprotected. 

A  short  distance  from  the  skull  was  what  may  have  been  a  ceremonial  group 
of  masses  of  stone,  consisting  of  five  in  contact.  Beneath  them  was  a  thin 
layer  of  clay,  slightly  reddened  by  heat  but  not  baked,  and  a  small  amount  of 
charcoal.  No  bones  lay  beneath  this  arrangement  of  stone. 

Burial  No.  3,  the  skeleton  of  a  child  in  a  shallow  pit,  the  bottom  of  which 
was  26  inches  from  the  surface.  Covering  the  flexed  body  and  extremities  and 
part  of  the  skull  were  two  slabs  a  short  distance  apart,  the  space  between  them 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


309 


being  filled  by  the  lower  part  of  a  mass  of  rock  whose  upper  portion  fitted  in  to 
form  part  of  a  second  layer,  there  being  a  large  mass  on  one  side  of  it  and  two 
smaller  ones,  side  by  side,Ton  the  other.  The  four  upper  masses  were  21  inches 


I'm.  57.  —  Burial  No.  '.),  a  burial  having  arranged  above  it  masses  of  rock,  somewhat  in  the  form 
of  a  horseshoe,  15  feet  2  inches  long  and  26  inches  across  the  opening,  over  all.     Garland's  Ferry,  Ala. 

long,  1  foot  in  width  at  one  end,  9  inches  at  the  other  extremity,  the  smaller  one 
being  over  the  skull,  as  more  space  was  demanded  for  the  trunk  and  flexed 
extremities.  This  upper  layer  completely  covered  the'skeleton. 


310 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


Burial  No.  9.  In  a  pit  22  inches  deep  was  a  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the 
right,  having  at  the  wrist  marine  shells  (Olivella)  used  as  beads.  The  skeleton 
lay  within  an  arrangement  of  masses  and  slabs  of  claystone,  somewhat  resembling 
a  horseshoe,  about  3  feet  2  inches  long  and  2.5  feet  across  the  opening,  outside 
measurement,  as  shown  in  Fig.  57.  Of  the  skeleton  there  were  exposed  the 
lower  half  of  the  trunk,  the  lower  extremities  except  the  knees,  and  the  upper 
extremities  except  proximal  parts  of  the  humeri,  and  the  right  forearm. 


FIG.  58. — Burial  No.  12.  A  placement  of  masses  of  rock,  4  feet  2  inches  long  and  2  feet  4  inches 
in  maximum  width,  covering  the  skeletons  of  two  children.  Garland's  Ferry,  Ala. 

When  the  large  slab  which  formed  part  of  the  horseshoe  had  been  removed, 
the  entire  skeleton  was  exposed  and  it  was  seen  that  it  lay  between  four  masses 
of  rock  on  one  side  and  one  long  mass  on  the  other  side,  having  behind  it  a  smaller 
mass  that  did  not  contribute  to  the  length  of  the  side.  Evidently,  then,  the 
bones  had  been  placed  in  an  enclosure  open  at  both  ends,  the  sides  of  which 
acted  as  supports  for  the  large  slab  placed  horizontally  over  the  upper  part 
of  the  skeleton. 

Burial  No.  12  was  in  a  pit  2  feet  10  inches  deep  and  included  an  arrangement 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  311 

of  masses  of  stone,  4  feet  2  inches  in  length;  maximum  width,  at  one  end,  2  feet 
4  inches;  at  the  other  end,  1  foot  9  inches.  This  arrangement  (shown  in  Fig.  58) 
had  its  upper  surface  1  foot  6  inches  below  the  level  of  the  site. 

Lying  transversely  under  the  wider  end  was  the  skeleton  of  a  child  four  or 
five  years  of  age,  closely  flexed  on  the  right  side,  covered  by  the  largest  pair 
of  masses  and  the  adjacent  stone  at  the  end. 

At  a  slightly  lower  level  than  the  other  burial,  which  was  somewhat  above 
that  of  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  was  the  skeleton  of  a  child  about  6  years  of  age, 
partly  flexed  on  the  right  side  and  covered  by  the  remainder  of  the  masses  of 
stone. 

An  interesting  feature  in  connection  with  this  burial  is  that  five  of  the  masses, 
all  of  sandstone,  are  water-worn  boulders  and  all  are  more  or  less  pitted,  probably 
by  the  cracking  of  nuts,  none  having  more  than  four  pits  on  one  side.  Some 
of  these  masses  also  had  concave  surfaces  caused  by  use  as  mortars. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  yards  W.  from  the  other  site,  in  the  same  field,  was 
one  of  about  equal  size,  having,  however,  much  more  shell  in  its  soil.  In  this 
site  were  found  seven  burials:  three  of  adults,  two  of  adolescents,  two  of  children. 
With  the  exception  of  an  adult  burial  at  full  length  face  down,  the  adults  and 
adolescents  lay  in  ordinary  forms  of  flexion. 

Burial  No.  14.  The  arrangement  of  this  grave  was  symmetrical,  consisting 
as  it  did  of  practically  three  sides  of  a  square  formed  by  masses  of  stone  arranged 
side  by  side,  having,  however,  a  few  small  masses  curving  in  a  purposeless  way, 
apparently,  from  one  end  of  an  open  side. 

This  equilateral  area,  about  3  feet  in  diameter,  without  covering  of  any 
kind,  contained  a  skeleton  lying  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head,  curiously 
enough,  according  to  our  ideas,  being  at  the  open  end  and  projecting  somewhat 
beyond  it.  Near  the  face  was  a  mass  of  bright  red  pigment  (hematite). 

With  the  exception  of  a  small  space  left  open  in  one  of  the  sides,  the  stones 
forming  them  were  practically  contiguous  and  included  an  interesting  feature. 
The  grave  next  to  be  described  had  been  made  previous  to  the  one  under  de 
scription  and  had  been  reached  in  digging  to  prepare  for  Burial  No.  14,  whose 
makers  had  utilized  that  part  of  the  grave  discovered  that  could  be  made  to  fit 
into  one  of  the  sides  of  their  enclosure. 

Burial  No.  15,  an  elongate  pile  of  stones  over  the  bones  of  a  child. 

Burial  No.  17  lay  flexed  on  the  left  side  beneath  8  inches  of  the  shell  material 
composing  the  site.  Above  this  lay  two  slabs,  one  over  the  lower  part  of  the 
trunk,  the  other  above  the  feet  of  the  skeleton.  The  upper  surface  of  the  slabs 
was  covered  by  18  inches  of  shell  material  to  the  surface. 

One  hundred  yards  NE.  by  N.  from  the  union  of  the  watercourse  with  the 
river,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  it,  still  on  property  belonging  to  Mrs.  (Jarland, 
was  a  site  similar  in  appearance  to  the  others  and  of  about  the  same  size,  having 
upon  it  a  pile  of  masses  and  slabs  of  stone,  about  2.5  feet  in  height  and  3  feet  in 
diameter,  which  had  been  plowed  up  and  piled  in  the  cultivation  of  the  field. 
In  this  site  careful  digging  reached  five  flexed  burials  of  adults. 


312  ABORIGINAL  SITES   ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER, 

Burial  No.  19,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  had  a  number  of  small  masses  of 
rock  scattered  here  and  there,  in  the  soil  above  it. 

Burial  No.  20,  partly  flexed  to  the  right. 

Burial  No.  21,  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  had  upon  it  a  slab  from  the  feet 
to  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax,  covering  them  in  the  main  but  not  completely. 
At  the  outer  side  of  the  knees  was  a  small  slab  on  edge. 

Burial  No.  22,  partly  flexed  on  the  left  and  covered,  with  the  exception  of 
the  pelvis,  with  masses  of  stone  of  very  irregular  shapes,  in  single  layer  in  places, 
double  in  others. 

Burial  No.  23,  a  skeleton  lying  closely  flexed  on  the  right  with  the  exception 
that  the  dexter  thigh  was  at  a  right  angle  to  the  body,  the  tibia  closely  flexed 
against  it,  had  upon  it  an  arrangement  of  masses  and  slabs  of  stone  (some  of 
the  latter  on  edge),  rudely  elliptical  in  outline,  as  shown  in  Fig.  59,  3  feet  3  inches 
long  and  about  2  feet  in  maximum  width.  These  slabs  and  masses,  which  were 
variously  of  sandstone,  limestone,  claystone,  and  silicious  rock,  had  their  upper 
parts  2  feet  below  the  surface,  the  pit  in  which  the  burial  lay  being  3  feet  3  inches 
deep.  These  slabs,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  illustration,  did  not  completely  cover 
the  skeleton,  the  pelvis  and  part  of  the  left  thigh  being  exposed. 

At  this  place,  once  in  the  second  site  described  and  twice  in  the  last  one, 
were  found  placements  of  stones  and  of  slabs,  having  the  appearance  of  graves, 
with  which  no  sign  of  bones  was  discoverable. 

One  of  these,  3.5  feet  by  about  3  feet,  was  a  placement  of  masses  and  slabs 
of  quartzite,  of  sandstone,  of  claystone,  consisting  of  two  large  slabs  on  which 
were  seven  masses  and  slabs. 

An  extensive,  irregular  placement  of  masses  and  slabs,  numerous  but  mostly 
small,  lay  a  short  distance  below  the  surface. 

Another  in  double  layer  in  places,  8  feet  2  inches  long  and  2.5  feet  at  the 
middle,  having  one  end  2  feet  in  diameter  and  one  about  8  inches  less,  had  pre 
cisely  the  appearance  of  the  covering  of  a  grave,  but  though  the  soil  beneath 
was  carefully  spaded  out  to  a  considerable  depth,  nothing  indicating  the  presence 
of  a  burial  was  encountered. 

Apart  from  remains  in  these  three  sites  were  three  arrowheads  of  flint,  two 
with  stems,  one  triangular,  and  a  small  chisel  of  indurated  shale. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  SNODGRASS  PLACE,  JACKSON  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

Almost  on  the  river-bank  at  the  Snodgrass  Place,  which  is  owned  by  Mrs. 
Texas  Snodgrass,  of  Scotsboro,  Ala.,  arc  two  mounds  which  have  suffered  through 
wash  and  wear,  the  smaller  only  a  remnant,  having  dwellings  upon  it. 

The  larger,  which  has  been  quadrangular  with  a  flat  top,  has  a  roadway  upon 
it  to  afford  access  to  a  large  frame  structure  covering  much  of  its  summit-plateau. 
The  height  of  the  mound  is  19  feet;  its  basal  diameters  are  118  feet  and  155  feet. 

Though  Mrs.  Snodgrass  most  generously  put  these  mounds  at  our  disposal, 
we  felt  that  investigation  of  them  would  be  useless. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


313 


30  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


314  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

Cox  MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITE,  JACKSON  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  the  river-bank,  in  a  large,  cultivated  field  forming  part  of  the  estate  of 
Mr.  J.  H.  Cameron,  who  resides  somewhat  back  on  the  slope  of  the  nearby  hills, 
is  a  mound  about  13  feet  in  height,  having  a  flat  top,  known  as  the  Cox  mound. 
Its  diameters  of  base  are  90  feet  and  105  feet.  The  mound  has  upon  it  a  frame 
structure  used  as  a  barn  for  Mr.  Cameron's  cattle,  and  for  this  reason  and  owing 
to  its  uninviting  shape,  no  investigation  of  it  was  attempted. 

The  Cox  mound  stands  upon  a  low  ridge  extending  along  the  river-bank. 
On  the  eastern  side  of  the  mound,  this  ridge,  which  there  is  about  75  yards  in 
width,  has  abundantly  on  the  surface  for  a  distance  of  about  250  yards,  flint 
pebbles,  broken  and  whole;  chips  of  flint;  fragments  of  musselshells;  and,  to  a 
less  extent,  potsherds;  broken  agricultural  tools  of  limestone;  arrowheads  and 
knives  of  flint,  broken  and  whole,  a  few  of  the  arrowheads  being  triangular, 
some  having  stems.  The  sherds  were  undecorated,  bore  incised,  elementary 
designs,  or  had  small  checks  or  oblong  impressions  conferred  with  a  stamp. 

All  that  part  of  the  ridge  on  which  the  debris  lay  was  carefully  tested  with 
the  aid  of  a  steel  rod  and  by  numerous  trial-holes.  Made-ground  extended  in 
places  to  a  depth  of  nearly  5  feet,  though,  as  a  rule,  soil  blackened  by  organic 
matter  was  not  found  at  more  than  from  2  to  2.5  feet  below  the  surface.  Under 
this  was  brown  sand  containing  shells,  extending  to  undisturbed,  underlying  sand. 

All  this  made-ground  was  found  to  be  shallower  beyond  an  area  extending 
about  100  yards  easterly  from  the  mound,  in  which  most  of  the  burials  proved 
to  be,  though  widely-scattered  ones  were  met  throughout  the  whole  eastern 
part  of  the  ridge  on  which  midden  debris  was  apparent  on  the  surface. 

Burials  were  at  all  depths,  some  nearly  5  feet  down,  and  evidently  had  been 
made  in  graves  during  successive  periods  of  the  accumulation  of  the  made-ground 
above  them. 

The  limits  of  the  graves,  in  nearly  every  instance,  were  impossible  to  distin 
guish,  as  they  had  been  filled  with  the  material  removed  in  the  process  of  making 
them,  and  the  made-ground  of  the  site  had  not  been  deposited  in  layers. 

Very  few  graves  had  been  made  in  the  upper  dark  material  and  continued 
into  the  brown  sand  and  shells,  otherwise,  there  would  have  been  ample  means 
to  contrast  the  black  soil  with  the  brown  sand,  but  seemed  to  have  been  dug 
almost  exclusively  either  in  the  dark,  midden  material  above,  without  going 
deeper,  or  in  the  sand  and  shell  beneath  it. 

Above  some  of  the  burials  at  this  place,  at  different  depths  from  the  surface, 
a  layer  of  clay,  reddened  by  heat,  sometimes  mingled  with  ashes  and  charcoal, 
had  been  placed.  This  red  layer  extended  beyond  the  limits  of  such  graves 
where  it  was  found,  and  consequently  seemed  to  have  been  on  top  of  the  grave 
and  on  the  level  of  the  site  at  the  time  the  grave  was  made.  The  depth  below 
the  surface  at  which  these  layers  were  found  by  us  can  readily  be  explained  by 
the  growth  of  midden  deposit  after  the  period  of  the  making  of  the  grave. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON    TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


315 


This  clay  did  not  mark  the  site  of  fires  made  above  the  graves,  but  had  been 
brought  from  elsewhere,  as  the  clay  and  the  ashes  were  sometimes  mingled. 

Thirty  burials  (fifteen  adults,  four  adolescents,  nine  children,  one  disturbance, 
one  large  deposit  of  bones)  were  encountered  east  of  the  mound.  We  shall 
describe  in  detail  all  having  artifacts  in  association,  as  well  as  burials  having 
other  features  of  interest. 

Burial  No.  1,  a  young  child  having  at  the  right  forearm  twenty-six  shells 
(Oliva  saijana)  pierced  for  use  as  beads.  At  the  left  of  the  head  was  an  undeco- 
rated  pot  of  about  two  quarts'  capacity,  alongside  which  was  a  small,  undecorated 


FIG.  60. — Gorget  of  shell.     With  Burial  Xo.  4.     Near  the  Cox  mound,  Ala.     (About  full  size.) 

one,  evidently  intended  for  a  child,  having  over  the  opening,  a  large  musselshell 
which  fell  to  bits  on  removal.  In  connection  with  this  burial  was  the  reddened 
clay  we  have  described,  mingled  with  which  were  fragments  of  matting,  sug 
gesting  the  remains  of  a  wigwam. 

Burial  No.  3,  an  infant  lying  immediately  beneath  a  mass  of  stone  completely 
covering  the  remains,  no  great  space  being  required  as  the  thigh-bone  of  the 
little  skeleton  was  but  3.25  inches  in  length.  At  the  neck  were  shell  beads. 

Burial  No.  4,  adolescent,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  trunk  slanting  diag 
onally  up  the  side  of  the  grave.  At  each  ear  was  the  columella  of  a  conch  having 
the  upper  whorls  of  the  spire  still  upon  it,  which  had  been  used  as  an  ear-orna 
ment  by  being  thrust  through  the  lobe  of  the  ear.  At  the  beak  of  one  of  them 
is  a  perforation. 

Near  the  left  humenis,  where  no  doubt  it  had  fallen  from  the  chest,  was  a 
shell  gorget  (Fig.  60),  the  design  engraved  on  the  convex  side,  a  somewhat 


316  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

unusual  feature.  This  design  is  of  a  well-known  class  described  and  figured 
by  Putnam1  and  exhaustively  treated  by  Holmes,2  on  which  is  represented  a 
figure  made  up  of  lines  symmetrically  looped  at  the  corners,  which  Holmes 
points  out  as  similar  in  shape  to  one  found  in  a  Mexican  codex.  Enclosed  in 
this  interesting  square  often  arc  crosses  and  sun-symbols.  Invariably  at  each 
of  the  four  sides  of  the  square  is  the  head  of  a  bird,  presumably  the  ivory-bill 
woodpecker,  of  which  we  have  had  considerable  to  say  in  connection  with  our 
work  at  Moundville,3  Ala.  The  Canada  Indians  made  coronets  of  these 
bills  for  their  chiefs  and  paid  two  or  even  three  deerskins  for  a  single  bill,  not  having 
the  birds  in  their  cold  climate. 

Shell  beads,  twenty-one  in  all,  oblate-spheroidal,  the  largest  having  a  diameter 
of  .7  inch,  lay  with  the  gorget  and  at  the  right  wrist. 

Burial  No.  6,  the  trunk  on  the  back,  the  thighs  diagonally  upward  to  the 
left,  the  legs  closely  flexed  on  the  thighs. 

Burial  No.  7,  a  deposit  of  bones  the  upper  part  of  which,  near  the  surface, 
may  in  part  have  been  plowed  away.  Twelve  skulls,  one  of  which  was  saved, 
were  recovered  from  it,  and  seventeen  pairs  of  femora,  having  belonged  to  four 
teen  adults,  one  adolescent,  two  children.  With  this  deposit  were  Marginella 
shells  used  as  beads,  many  of  which  were  within  a  skull. 

Burial  No.  9,  at  a  depth  of  3  feet  to  the  upper  surface,  in  contact,  lay  two 
masses  of  ferruginous  sandstone,  each  about  5  inches  thick,  covering  a  space 
28  inches  by  16  inches,  on  which  lay  the  bones  of  a  young  infant  having  pierced 
Marginella  shells  at  the  neck  and  thorax. 

Burial  No.  12,  the  trunk  in  a  semi-reclining  position,  the  head  uppermost, 
bent  over  and  resting  against  the  knees,  the  thighs  being  vertical  and  having 
the  legs  closely  flexed  against  them.  The  right  humerus  was  alongside  the  body, 
the  forearm  at  a  right  angle  to  it,  at  the  side  of  the  pelvis;  the  left  humerus  lay 
downward  along  the  thorax,  the  forearm  partly  flexed  and  crossing  the  pelvis. 

Burial  No.  14,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  having  shell  beads  at  the  upper 
part  of  the  thorax. 

Burial  No.  17,  reclining  against  the  side  of  the  pit,  the  thighs  closely  flexed 
on  the  trunk,  the  legs  against  the  thighs,  the  right  arm  and  forearm  along  the 
trunk,  the  left  arm  along  the  thorax,  the  forearm  closely  flexed  on  it. 

Burial  No.  18,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  having  shell  beads  from  below  the 
knees  to  the  ankles. 

Burial  No.  19,  the  trunk  lying  on  the  back,  the  thighs  flexed  diagonally 
upward  to  the  left,  the  legs  closely  flexed  on  them;  the  humeri  alongside  the 
body,  the  forearms  slightly  flexed,  bringing  the  hands  on  the  pelvis. 

Burial  No.  20,  a  child  having  marine  shells  (Olivella),  used  as  beads  and 
mingled  with  other  shell  beads  at  the  neck. 

1  Eleventh  Ann.  Rep.  Peabody  Museum,  p.  308  rt  seq. 

2  "Art  in  Shell  of  the  Ancient" Americans,"  p.  280  ct  scq.,  Plates  LVIII,  LIX. 

""Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the  Black  Warrior  River,"  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  Vol. 
XIII,  p.  138  ctlscq.,  et  al 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


317 


Burial  No.  21,  a  child  having  shell  beads  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  27,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  small  shell  beads  at  eacli  wrist,  also 
on  the  pelvis  where,  in  addition,  was  a  discoidal  bead  of  indurated  shale,  1.4 
inch  in  diameter  and  .0  inch  in  thickness,  having  a  central  perforation;  small 
beads  also  were  near  the  knees. 

Burial  No.  28,  adolescent,  part  of  the  skeleton  showing  disturbance,  though 
no  cause  was  apparent.  At  the  right  elbow  were  four  vessels  of  very  coarse, 
shell-tempered  ware;  a  small,  undecorated  one  within  a  pot  having  no  decoration; 
an  undecorated  bowl  and  a  bottle  having  rudely  incised  around  the  body  a 
current  scroll  entwining  a  series  of  knobs. 


r> 


A* 


FIG.  61. — Bowl  of  earthenware.     Near  the  Cox  Mound,  Ala.     (I)iam.  13.7  inches.) 

Burial  No.  30,  a  child  having  pierced  Marginella  shells  at  the  neck. 

Burials  hitherto  undescribcd  were  as  follows:  adults,  closely  flexed  on  the 
right,  2;  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  1;  closely  flexed  to  the  left,  1;  partly  flexed 
to  the  right,  1;  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  2;  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  1 ;  adoles 
cents,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  1;  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  1;  children,  3;  a 
disturbed  burial. 

Articles  placed  with  the  dead  at  this  place  seemed  to  be  in  the  main  objects 
wrought  from  shell,  though  one  could  wish  the  fashion  had  been  more  compre 
hensive.  A  marked  feature  was  the  attention  shown  to  children,  for  while  but 
three  out  of  fifteen  adults  had  artifacts  in  association,  six  children  out  of  nine 
had  been  thus  favored. 

Found  in  the  digging,  but  apart  from  burials,  were:  two  bowls,  undecorated 
and  of  very  coarse  ware,  one  within  the  other;  parts  of  a  gorget  of  shell,  probably 
scattered  by  some  disturbance,  which,  restored  as  to  a  small  part  not  recovered 


318  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

proved  to  belong  to  the  same  class  as  the  one  described  from  this  place,  and 
also  has  its  decoration  on  the  convex  side;  half  of  an  undecorated  gorget  of  shell 
found  with  the  other;  a  part  of  a  good-sized  bowl,  restored  and  shown  in  Fig.  61, 

found  in  fragments  just  below  the  surface  and 
bearing  a  decoration  often  seen  on  earthenware 
farther  south  in  Alabama;  a  sherd  bearing  a  com 
plicated  stamp  design  (Fig.  62) ;  a  number  of  flint 
arrowheads  and  knives  similar  to  those  found  on 
the  surface;  hoes  wrought  from  musselshells,  hav 
ing  each  a  perforation  for  a  handle;  an  amulet  of 
the  bar  variety,  of  impure  hematite,  having  two 
perforations;  a  disc  of  copper  with  indentations 
around  the  margin,  with  opposite  sides  bent  over 
in  a  way  that  one  overlaps  the  other;  a  graceful 
celt  of  volcanic  rock, somewhat  more  than  4  inches 
FIG.  62.— Pottery  with  compli-  in  length;  red  ochre  pigment;  arrow  flakers  of  ant- 

cated  stamp  decoration.     Near  the   j       tfa    t  h    d  been        t  {     handl  w  h    however, 

Cox  Mound,  Ala.     (lull  size.) 

were  not  found. 

The  ridge  west  of  the  mound  is  of  brown  loam,  the  dark,  midden  soil,  such 
as  was  present  on  the  opposite  side,  being  absent.  There  was  almost  no  midden 
debris  on  the  surface,  except  broken  shells,  and  these  were  on  only  limited  areas. 
Some  digging  was  done  in  this  part  of  the  ridge,  but  though  shells  were  mingled 
with  the  soil,  showing  aboriginal  agency  in  the  deposits,  no  burials  were  encount 
ered. 

This  site,  which  evidently  is  pre-Columbian,  or  in  all  events  dates  from  a 
period  when  the  region  had  no  intercourse  with  white  people,  has  a  considerable 
history  as  to  human  bones  plowed  up  and  artifacts  discovered.  We  were  in 
formed  by  Mr.  Cameron,  the  owner,  that  from  the  ridge  where  we  dug,  a  bicave 
stone  "as  large  as  a  saucer"  had  been  taken,  and  we  obtained  from  him  a  cere 
monial  axe  of  the  hoe-shaped  pattern,  which  he  informed  us  had  been  found 
on  the  place. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  RUDDER  PLACE,  JACKSON  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  property  of  Mr.  Hugh  Rudder,  who  lives  somewhat  back  toward  the 
hills,  is  a  mound  in  sight  from  the  river-bank,  rectangular  with  a  flat  top,  13 
feet  high  and  100  feet  by  114  feet  diameters  of  base.  Two  holes  of  considerable 
size  were  in  the  summit-plateau,  but  did  not  seem  to  have  been  deeply  dug. 

Within  a  few  yards  of  this  mound  is  the  remnant  of  another,  2  or  3  feet  in 
height,  which,  like  the  field  from  which  it  rises,  was  planted  in  wheat  at  the 
time  of  our  visit.  Permission  not  granted. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER.  319 

MOUNDS  NEAR  WIDOW'S  CREEK,  JACKSON  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

On  the  left  side  of  the  river,  going  up,  about  one  mile  above  its  junction 
with  Widow's  creek,  on  the  property  of  Mr.  W.  S.  Allen,  of  Bridgeport,  Ala., 
are  two  mounds  in  a  cultivated  field  near  the  river  bank,  less  than  50  yards  apart. 

MOUND  A. 

Mound  A,  which  may  have  been  under  cultivation  in  the  past,  though  not 
in  recent  years,  was  turtle-shaped,  its  height  from  the  outside  being  6.5  feet, 
its  diameters  75  feet  and  45  feet. 

An  excavation  12  feet  square,  sunk  centrally  to  the  base,  which  reached 
dark  alluvial  soil  at  a  depth  of  8  feet  4  inches,  showed  the  mound  to  be  composed 
of  layers,  some  almost  entirely  of  musselshells,  some  with  a  small  proportion 
of  earth  mingled  with  shells,  some  having  shells  and  material  made  up  principally 
of  ashes. 

Our  excavation  gave  evidence  also  that  the  height  of  the  mound  from  the 
outside  was  misleading.  The  discrepancy  was  accounted  for  by  the  discovery 
that  a  considerable  deposit  of  midden  soil  around  the  mound  in  the  field  had 
lessened  the  original  altitude. 

The  base  of  the  mound,  on  which  was  a  fireplace,  was  carefully  dug  through 
in  the  hope  of  determining  the  presence  of  a  pit  or  pits,  but  without  success. 

Burial  No.  1,  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  had  a  slab  over  the  feet,  legs,  and  one 
hand.  The  skull  was  missing.  Depth,  2  feet  8  inches. 

Burial  No.  2,  adolescent  extended  on  the  back,  5  feet  down.  At  the  right 
ear  were  three  pearls,  and  two  were  at  the  left  ear,  all  comparatively  small, 
four  flat  like  discoidal  beads,  one  an  oblate  sphere,  all  pierced.  At  the  right 
wrist  was  a  beautiful  pearl,  oblate-spheroidal  in  shape,  .5  inch  in  diameter, 
without  patina,  having  a  beautiful  luster.  The  piercing  of  this  fine  pearl  and  the 
effect  of  time  had  deprived  it  of  any  value  it  might  have  had  as  a  gem.  At  a 
site  where  musselshells  were  as  abundantly  used  as  they  seem  to  have  been  at 
this  place,  pearls  doubtless  were  numerous. 

Burial  No.  3,  at  a  depth  of  3  feet  4  inches,  six  slabs  and  a  fragment  of  stone 
had  been  irregularly  placed.  On  these  rested  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  above 
which,  not  always  in  contact  but  mingled  with  shells  of  the  mound,  had  been 
piled  other  masses  and  slabs  to  almost  within  one  foot  of  the  surface. 

In  another  part  of  the  mound  stones  piled  as  for  a  grave  were  discovered, 
much  resembling  those  found  with  Burial  No.  3,  but  no  bones  lay  beneath  or 
among  them.  It  is  possible  that  the  remains  of  an  infant  with  which  they  had 
been  placed  had  decayed  away. 

Burial  No.  4.  At  a  depth  of  3  feet  8  inches  were  disturbed  bones  of  an  adult 
skeleton  and  scattered  masses  of  rock,  no  cause  for  this  being  apparent. 

Burial  No.  5,  covering  that  part  of  the  base  of  the  mound  which  was  reached 
by  our  excavation  (supposing  the  alluvial  soil  without  shells  to  have  been  the 
base,  which  seems  likely),  was  a  layer  of  ash  material  and  shells.  At  one  part 


320 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


of  this  layer  were  considerably  fewer  shells  than  were  present  in  the  other  parts. 
In  fact,  the  space  in  question  was  almost  without  them. 

At  this  place  a  burial  had  been  made,  presumably  when  the  mound  was  in  a 
period  of  growth  but  still  was  insignificant  in  height.  In  the  ash  material  with 
out  shell  a  grave  7.5  feet  long  and  about  26  inches  in  maximum  width  had  been 
dug  to  a  depth  of  1  foot  7  inches.  Next,  into  the  grave  had  been  placed  shells 


Fit).  63.— Burial  Xo.  o.     Not  a  box-grave  but  a  placement  of  masses  and  slabs  of  stone, 
!)  inches  by  2  feet  8  inches,  piled  over  a  burial.     Widow's  Creek,  Ala. 


feet 


without  admixture  of  foreign  material,  to  a  depth  of  about  7  inches,  on  which 
the  body  had  been  placed  at  full  length  on  the  back,  arms  along  the  sides  of  the 
trunk,  and  the  space  above  and  around  had  been  filled  with  musselshells.  Then 
above  the  burial  had  been  piled  a  placement  of  slabs  and  masses  variously  of 
limestone,  of  sandstone,  and  seemingly  of  claystone,  7  feet  9  inches  long  and 
2  feet  8  inches  in  maximum  width,  which  was  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  (Fig.  63). 
This  placement  consisted  of  masses  and  slabs  in  double  layer  which  sometimes 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  321 

rested  on  masses  that  had  been  placed  here  and  there  as  supports  at  the  sides, 
but  which  were  far  from  continuous.  As  none  of  the  covering  stones  resting 
on  the  supports  was  of  a  size  sufficient  to  span  the  grave  and  hence  lay  diagonally, 
while  others  had  been  placed  without  side  support,  the  upper  surface  of  the 
placement  was  very  irregular. 

From  the  top  of  this  stone  grave  to  the  surface  of  the  mound  was  5  feet  4 
inches.  That  the  grave  had  not  been  dug  down  from  any  part  of  the  mound 
above  was  clearly  shown  by  the  presence  of  unbroken  strata  to  the  surface. 

Here  ends  the  record  of  the  burials  from  the  central  excavation  in  Mound 
A. 

On  each  side  of  this  excavation,  in  the  line  of  the  longer  axis  of  the  mound, 
a  hole  10  feet  square  was  dug  to  the  alluvial  soil,  resulting  in  the  discovery  of 
burials  as  follows: 

Burial  No.  6.  Beneath  a  slab  of  claystone,  2  feet  by  1.5  foot,  that  lay  10 
inches  below  the  surface,  were  the  bones  of  a  child,  2  inches  of  shell  material 
lying  between  them  and  the  slab. 

Burial  No.  7.  Six  feet  from  the  surface,  in  what  seemed  to  have  been  a  pit, 
though  its  beginning  could  not  be  determined,  the  strata  in  the  side  excavations 
not  being  so  clearly  defined  as  they  were  in  the  central  one,  though  the  pit  was 
distinctly  marked  at  its  base,  lay  a  skeleton  at  full  length  on  the  back,  the  grave 
there  averaging  6  feet  8  inches  long  and  2.5  feet  wide. 

On  and  around  this  skeleton  was  a  placement  of  stones  and  slabs,  as  follows: 
A  slab  35  inches  long  by  23  inches  wide  lay  immediately  over  the  trunk  and  skull 
of  the  skeleton.  Placed  diagonally,  so  that  it  slanted  over  that  part  of  the 
great  slab  which  covered  the  skull,  was  a  thick  mass  of  stone.  Beginning  some 
what  above  the  shoulder,  on  the  right  side,  there  continued  along  the  skeleton, 
in  line  to  the  knee,  a  slab,  three  small  masses,  and  another  slab,  in  the  order 
named,  the  two  slabs  being  placed  on  edge  and  projecting  above  the  burial,  the 
three  masses  simply  being  at  its  level.  Beginning  on  a  line  with  the  top  of  the 
skull  on  the  left  side  and  continuing  down  almost  to  the  pelvis  was  a  long  slab 
on  edge  rising  above  the  burial,  and  a  number  of  small  masses  of  stone  in  line, 
all  resting  on  the  great  slab  that  lay  above  the  skull  and  the  trunk  of  the  skeleton. 
Above  these  masses,  but  not  in  contact  with  them,  were  other  small  masses 
in  the  shells. 

In  a  rude  semicircle  around  the  feet  and  ankles,  four  masses  of  rock  had  been 
arranged.  One  of  these,  of  sandstone,  16  inches  by  12  inches,  by  7  inches  in 
thickness,  flat  on  two  opposite  sides,  had  been  used  on  both  of  them  as  a  mortal-, 
and  also  probably  to  crack  nuts  upon,  as  on  one  side  the  depression  was  accom 
panied  by  seven  small  pits  and  on  the  other  by  ten  of  them.  This  interest  ing- 
stone  has  been  placed  on  exhibition  at  The  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

From  the  pelvis  down  the  skeleton  was  not  covered. 

Burial  No.  8,  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  3  feet  from  the  surface. 

Burial  No.  9.     At  full  length  on  the  back,  4  feet  down,  lay  a  skeleton  having 

31  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  PHI  LA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


322 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


a  mass  of  stone  over  the  head.     Near  the  thorax  was  a  slender,  triangular  arrow 
head  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  10.     Ten  inches  below  the  surface  stones  and  slabs  were  reached, 
arranged  in  double  layer  in  an  irregular  circle,  3  feet  5  inches  by  2  feet  9  inches, 


FIG.  64. — Burial  No.  10.     A  placement  of  masses  of  stone  and  slabs,  3  feet  5  inches  by  2  feet  9 
inches,  lying  above  the  skeleton  of  a  young  child.     Widow's  Creek,  Ala. 

as  shown  in  Fig.  64.  Below  these  came  a  layer  2  inches  in  thickness,  of  the  shell 
material  of  the  mound  lying  on  the  skeleton  of  a  young  child,  crushed  almost  flat. 
Burial  No.  11.  Fourteen  inches  down  were  the  bones  of  a  child,  and  piled 
above  them,  in  a  very  irregular  way,  were  small  masses  of  stone  and  slabs  with 
a  few  larger  ones. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  323 

Throe  foot  from  the  surface  was  a  placement  consisting  of  masses  and  slabs 
of  moderate  size,  having  the  outline  of  an  irregular,  horizontal  triangle  with 
an  altitude  of  6.5  feet  and  a  base  of  5  feet  8  inches.  These  stones  and  slabs, 
contiguous  as  a  rule,  were  arranged,  however,  so  that  several  spaces  of  moderate 
size  were  left  uncovered.  Below  this  layer  was  an  occasional  mass  of  stone, 
but  not  in  sufficient  number  to  be  considered  a  second  layer.  No  trace  of  bones 
lay  above  or  below  this  assemblage  of  masses. 

In  one  corner  of  one  of  the  smaller  excavations  in  this  mound,  extending 
16  inches  below  the  base,  was  a  circular  pit  30  inches  in  diameter,  filled  with 
ashes  and  fragments  of  rock. 

Apart  from  human  remains  in  this  mound  were  found  separately  a  number 
of  implements  of  bone,  some  in  excellent  condi 
tion;  a  celt  of  indurated  shale,  5.6  inches  in  length; 
a  circular  mass  of  sandstone  about  the  size  of  a 
fist,  having  on  two  opposite  sides  a  pit  probably 
to  aid  in  cracking  nuts;  many  portions  of  antler  FIC.  65.— Ear-plug  of  antler. 
partly  wrought;  arrow  flakers  of  antler,  whoso  -Mound  A,  Widow's  Creek,  Ala. 
handles,  however,  were  not  found;  an  ear-orna 
ment  of  antler,  having  below  the  head  a  groove  showing  polish  through  wear 
(Fig.  65). 

MOUND  B. 

Mound  B,  80  feet  by  60  feet  in  diameters  of  base,  had  a  height  of  3.5  feel , 
measured  from  the  exterior,  though  the  distance  from  its  summit  to  undisturbed, 
alluvial  soil  was  2  feet  greater  This  mound,  long  plowed  over  and  much  ex 
tended,  was  composed  of  musselshells  in  a  way  similar  to  Mound  A. 

Three  burials  near  the  surface  had  been  plowed  away  in  places.  Burial 
No.  4,  a  child,  and  Burials  Nos.  5  and  6,  all  superficial,  were  closely  flexed  on 
the  left. 

Burial  No.  7,  a  skeleton  lying  on  the  right  side,  almost  at  full  length,  the 
thighs,  however,  slightly  flexed,  forming  an  obtuse  angle  with  the  trunk,  the 
legs  continuing  down  in  a  lino  parallel  to  the  long  axis  of  the  trunk.  The  right 
humerus  was  in  front  of  the  face,  the  forearm  under  the  upper  part  of  the  cranium. 
The  left  humerus  formed  a  right  angle  with  the  trunk,  the  forearm  flexed,  bringing 
the  hand  to  the  forehead.  The  skull,  of  a  yellow  color,  was  crushed  into  small 
fragments  and  flat,  resembling  a  squash  that  has  been  trampled  upon. 

This  burial  was  covered  by  a  placement  of  stones  and  slabs  in  double  thickness, 
8  feet  long,  3  feet  9  inches  at  one  end  and  2  feet  9  inches  at  the  other,  much 
similar  to  the  arrangement  described  in  connection  with  Burial  No.  5,  Mound  A, 
at  this  place,  though  the  one  in  Mound  B  showed  more  irregularity.  Its  upper 
parts  lay  1.5  foot  below  the  surface. 

This  burial  had  been  a  dual  one.  Between  the  two  layers  of  slabs  and  masses 
that  covered  Burial  No.  7  there  lay  at  the  head  end  of  the  grave,  in  complete 
disorder,  a  flattened  mingling  of  the  bones  of  an  adult  skeleton. 


324  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER 

Three  feet  from  the  top  of  the  mound  lay  masses  of  stone  and  slabs  with 
spaces  between.  Above  these,  here  and  there,  in  no  evident  order,  were  masses 
of  stone.  No  disturbance  was  apparent  and  no  burial  was  present. 

Apart  from  bones  were  found,  in  Mound  B,  a  small  piercing  implement  of 
bone;  a  rude,  triangular  arrowhead  of  flint;  a  coarse,  cutting  implement  of  sand 
stone;  part  of  an  earthenware  pipe. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  WILLIAMS  LANDING,  JACKSON  COUNTY,  ALABAMA. 

There  are  four  mounds  and  a  shell-heap  on  the  property  of  Judge  J.  J.  Williams 
who  lives  upon  it,  somewhat  back  in  the  hills. 

MOUND  A. 

The  steamboat  landing  on  this  estate  is  known  as  Williams  Landing,  other 
wise  Lone  Oak  Landing.  About  three-eighths  of  a  mile  N.  from  this  landing, 
on  the  crest  of  a  low  hill  rising  from  bottom-land,  was  a  symmetrical  mound 
in  woods,  overlooking  the  river,  6.5  feet  in  height  and  45  feet  in  diameter  of  its 
circular  base.  Around  it  was  a  trench,  almost  filled  at  the  time  of  our  visit, 
whence  came  the  raw  clay  and  pebbles  of  which  the  mound  mainly  was  com 
posed.  In  the  center  of  the  summit  was  a  small  hole  which  proved  to  have  been 
carried  down  but  a  short  distance.  Around  its  margin  were  masses  of  stone 
which  evidently  had  been  taken  from  the  mound. 

Two  feet  four  inches  from  the  top  was  a  bed  of  slabs  (such  as  we  tested  were 
of  limestone),  6  feet  9  inches  in  length  by  4  feet  7  inches  in  width,  somewhat 
disturbed  by  the  previous  digging.  When  found,  this  placement  had  an  irregular 
outline;  it  was  composed  of  slabs  in  double  thickness  in  places,  and  of  single 
slabs  and  masses  of  rock  in  others,  while  in  some  parts  no  slabs  or  masses  were 
present. 

On  this  had  rested  a  burial,  fragments  of  which,  disturbed  by  the  former 
digging,  remained. 

Four  feet  eight  inches  down,  beyond  any  chance  of  disarrangement  by  the 
previous  diggers,  were  a  few  fragments  of  human  bones. 

Near  the  center  of  the  base,  which  could  be  distinguished  because  at  that 
point  ended  the  slight  stratification  that  prevailed  in  the  mound  and  red  clay 
of  uniform  shade  began,  lay  the  bones  of  a  child  closely  flexed  to  the  right, 
flattened  to  an  extent  almost  to  resemble  the  skeleton  of  a  fossil  fish.  Directly 
on  these  bones  slabs  had  been  placed,  and  above  these  again  were  masses  of  stone 
piled  irregularly,  not  in  contact  but  surrounded  by  earth. 

Almost  contiguous  to  this  burial,  at  the  same  level,  lay  a  skeleton  closely 
flexed  on  the  right,  having  the  humeri  partly  in  front  of  the  thorax  and  the  arms 
closely  flexed,  bringing  the  hands  up  in  front  to  the  face.  The  thighs  and  tibiae, 
as  in  the  case  of  a  closely  flexed  burial,  were  drawn  up  parallel  to  the  body. 

Back  of  the  skull  and  behind  the  pelvis  were  two  small  masses  of  stone,  and 
somewhat  in  front  of  each  of  these  masses,  as  if  possibly  they  had  been  intended 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  325 

as  supports,  were  two  slabs  that  perhaps  had  slipped  from  the  masses  which 
otherwise  would  have  held  them  diagonally  over  parts  of  the  skeleton.  As  it 
was,  most  of  one  slab  which  would  have  covered  the  skull  and  much  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  trunk,  lay  forward  from  them,  covering  only  the  facial  part  of  the 
skull,  and  the  hands.  The  lower  slab,  which  had  slipped  less  (if  displacement 
occurred),  lay  over  the  pelvis,  the  lower  ribs,  and  most  of  the  lower  extremities. 
There  remained  uncovered,  then,  much  of  the  skull,  the  upper  part  of  the  trunk, 
and  the  knees. 

This  burial  with  its  covering  occupied  a  space  3  feet  7  inches  long  and  was 
2  feet  3  inches  in  maximum  width. 

Beginning  at  about  the  center  of  the  base  and  extending  outward  was  a 
pit,  oblong  with  rounded  corners,  5.5  feet  in  length  and  3  feet  7  inches  in  width, 
having  a  depth  in  the  undisturbed  clay  below  the  base  of  1  foot  2  inches.  Pre 
sumably  this  pit  had  been  made  prior  to  the  building  of  the  mound  and  had 
not  been  dug  down  through  it,  as  undisturbed,  local  strata  were  noted  almost 
above  it.  Most  careful  search  in  this  pit,  which  was  cleared  with  the  aid  of 
trowels,  failed  to  discover  any  trace  of  bones,  which  beyond  doubt  had  decayed 
away. 

MOUNDS  B  AND  C. 

Within  a  short  distance  of  Mound  A  were  Mounds  B  and  C",  respectively 
2  feet  7  inches  high  and  32  feet  in  diameter,  and  3  feet  in  height  with  a  diameter 
of  50  feet.  Considerable  digging  in  the  larger  mound  was  unrewarded. 

MOUND  D. 

Mound  D,  about  one-half  mile  NNE.  from  Williams  Landing,  was  on  sloping 
ground  just  above  the  flat  bottom-land,  in  full  view  from  the  river.  This  mound 
had  a  circular  base  about  50  feet  in  diameter  and  was  6  feet  8  inches  in  height, 
according  to  a  measurement  taken  from  the  outside.  A  second  measurement 
made  from  the  summit  to  the  base  of  the  mound  showed  that  the  height  as 
ascertained  from  the  outside  was  about  correct. 

Previous  to  our  coming  a  hole  had  been  dug  in  this  mound  nearly  at  the 
center  of  the  top,  about  3  feet  by  5  feet  in  size  and  presumably  of  considerable 
depth.  From  it  had  been  thrown  out  a  number  of  masses  of  limestone.  There 
was  evidence  also  that  a  small  trench  had  been  dug  in  from  the  outside,  which, 
however,  had  been  filled. 

The  central  bulk  of  the  mound  was  surrounded  and  dug  out  by  us  to  below 
the  base,  the  size  of  the  excavation  being  37  feet  by  40  feet,  which  practically 
included  all  the  interesting  part  of  it,  judging  from  the  fact  that  with  the  ex 
ception  of  one  superficial  burial  none  was  reached  until  considerable  digging 
toward  the  inner  part  had  been  done. 

The  mound  proved  to  be  of  rich,  dark,  loamy  clay,  evidently  the  deposit 
of  a  dwelling-site  which  had  overlain  the  field  to  a  depth  of  (i  inches,  as  was 
apparent  from  the  unmixed  layer  of  midden  material  found  at  the  base  of  the 


326  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

mound,  above  which  the  mound  had  been  built  of  the  same  material  but  consid 
erably  mingled,  as  would  be  expected  when  it  was  gathered  from  the  field  around. 

This  mound,  which  would  have  been  of  great  interest  had  the  aborigines 
who  made  it  been  endowed  with  a  more  liberal  spirit  in  respect  to  their  dead, 
had  been  built  over  a  shallow  grave  containing  a  burial  below  the  base  of  the 
mound.  Some  burials  apparently  had  been  deposited  on  the  base,  while  others 
had  been  placed  in  the  body  of  the  mound,  most  of  these  being  in  grave-pits, 
some  clearly  let  down  from  the  surface,  others  being  traceable  some  distance 
up,  but  not  all  the  way. 

In  all,  thirty-six  burials  were  found,  no  account  being  taken  of  bones  scattered 
by  the  previous  digging,  by  the  sinking  of  pits  in  aboriginal  times,  by  the  roots 
of  a  tree  which  grew  well  up  on  the  mound,  or  of  small  portions  of  skeletons  buried 
by  the  aborigines  themselves,  some  of  which,  probably  similar  to  interments 
found  in  other  mounds,  were  bones  that  had  dropped  away  from  skeletons 
previous  to  the  time  of  burial  and  later  were  gathered  and  interred. 

In  the  case  of  Burial  No.  30  in  this  mound,  an  interesting  example  of  the 
aboriginal  interment  of  fragmentary  remains  is  shown. 

The  grave  below  the  base  of  the  mound  (Burial  No.  36),  to  which  reference 
has  been  made,  was  7  feet  10  inches  to  the  bottom  of  its  pit  from  the  level  of 
the  summit  of  the  mound,  the  pit  itself  cutting  through  the  6  inches  of  midden 
soil  marking  the  base  and  entering  the  undisturbed,  red  clay  a  distance  of  1.5 
foot,  the  limits  of  the  grave  being  very  clearly  defined  in  the  raw  clay.  The 
depth  of  the  original  midden  deposit  on  the  field,  of  which  we  have  spoken,  was 
conclusively  proved  by  the  presence  of  the  red  clay  around  the  sides  of  the  grave 
which  had  been  thrown  out  when  it  was  dug  and  had  not  been  used  in  filling 
the  grave.  This  red  clay  lay  over  the  6  inches  of  surface  midden  debris  on 
which  it  had  been  thrown. 

The  grave,  which  was  6  feet  8  inches  long  by  3  feet  2  inches  wide,  began 
about  4.5  feet  from  what  we  considered  to  be  the  center  of  the  base  of  the  mound, 
radiating  from  it,  the  head  of  the  grave  nearest  the  center,  as  shown  by  the 
presence  of  a  fragment  of  skull  about  one  inch  square,  which  was  the  only  part 
of  the  skeleton  found,  even  no  teeth  being  present,  though  the  entire  contents  of 
the  grave  was  removed  with  a  trowel. 

Over  this  grave,  as  stated,  having  the  red  clay  that  had  been  removed  in 
its  making  spread  for  a  considerable  distance  around  it,  the  mound  had  been 
built,  its  inception  being  presumably  at  the  time  of  the  interment,  since  the 
grave  was  filled,  not  with  the  clay  that  had  been  taken  out,  but  with  the  midden 
material  of  which  the  mound  was  made. 

Practically  on  the  center  of  the  base  of  the  mound  was  a  deposit  of  calcined 
human  bones,  3.5  feet  by  1  foot  9  inches  and  3  inches  in  maximum  thickness. 
These  bones,  reduced  to  fine  particles,  bore  no  trace  of  order  and  were  in  the 
vicinity  of  no  sign  of  fire.  This  deposit  (Burial  No.  35)  is  classed  as  one  burial, 
though  it  is  probable  that  the  remains  of  two  individuals  were  present,  side  by 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


327 


side,  as  a  space  8  inches  broad,  on  which  were  only  scattered  fragments,  divided 
the  deposit  into  two  parts.  These  cremated  remains  presumably  were  placed 
there  at  the  time  the  erection  of  the  mound  was  commenced. 

In  addition  to  Burials  Nos.  34  and  35,  the  following,  some  of  which  lay  on 
the  base  while  others  were  in  grave-pits,  seem  to  demand  detailed  description. 

Burial  No.  1,  3.5  feet  under  the  slope  of  the  mound,  was  a  placement  composed 
of  eight  slabs,  some  of  limestone,  some  of  silicious,  veined  material,  evenly  and 
symmetrically  laid  in  contact,  which  measured  approximately  4.5  feet  in  length 


FIG.  <><>.— Burial  No.  1.    A  skeleton  lying  upon  a  fiat  bed  of  .slabs,  4  feet  0  inches  by  2  feet. 
1),  Williams  Landing,  Ala. 


Mound 


and  2  feet  at  the  broadest  part,  where  a  single  small  slab  had  been  placed  at 
each  side  of  the  general  alignment  to  accommodate  the  increased  space  demanded 
by  the  trunk  and  the  knees. 

The  skeleton  lay  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  the  dexter  humerus  under  the 
chest,  its  forearm  flexed,  bringing  the  hand  in  front  of  the  face,  (lie  left  humerus 
down,  having  the  forearm  slightly  flexed  into  the  pelvis.  The  thighs  were  up 
against  the  body,  having  the  tibia'  flexed  on  them  (Fig.  06). 


328  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  7,  4  feet  9  inches  below  the  slope  of  the  mound,  was  a  bed  of 
thin  slabs,  closely  laid  in  a  double  layer,  5  feet  6  inches  long  by  3  feet  wide, 
completely  protecting  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  which  rested  im 
mediately  below.  Over  the  lower  part  of  the  skeleton  and  the  covering  of  slabs, 
and  somewhat  above  the  latter,  were  several  masses  of  rock  in  the  soil,  separate 
and  without  arrangement.  The  right  humerus  of  the  skeleton  lay  under  the 
thorax,  somewhat  forward,  the  forearm  partly  flexed,  bringing  the  hand  to  the 
right  knee,  the  left  upper  arm  extended  downward  in  front  of  the  thorax,  the 
forearm  being  at  a  right  angle  back  on  the  trunk,  not  forward  as  one  would 
expect  it  to  be.  Back  of  the  skull  was  a  bone  pin,  much  decayed,  that  probably 
had  been  in  the  hair. 

Burials  Nos.  8,  14,  15,  a  child  and  two  younger  children,  respectively,  in 
shallow  graves  extending  down  from  the  surface  of  the  mound,  the  bones  covered 
with  deposits  of  musselshells,  above  which  to  the  surface  were  musselshells  mingled 
with  earth. 

Burial  No.  13,  a  grave-pit  5.5  feet  deep,  3.5  feet  by  slightly  more  than  2  feet, 
was  clearly  traceable  from,  or  almost  from,  the  surface  of  the  mound,  extending 
9  inches  into  undisturbed  clay  below  the  base.  This  pit  contained  a  skeleton 
lying  closely  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burial  No.  17,  the  skeleton  of  a  child  lying  near  the  surface,  doubtless  in  a 
grave  but  having  no  musselshells  in  association. 

Burial  No.  21,  a  pit  clearly  defined,  at  the  bottom  of  which,  3.5  feet  down, 
was  a  skeleton  lying  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  the  pit  being  filled  with  soil  and 
musselshells  mingled. 

Burial  No.  25.  This  burial  was  of  a  class  to  be  described  later  in  this  report 
in  connection  with  the  Hampton  Place,  Hamilton  County,  Tenn.,  where  burials, 
closely  flexed,  were  placed  almost  vertically  in  narrow  pits,  the  pelvis  at  the 
bottom  of  the  pit,  the  arms  and  legs  flexed  against  the  trunk. 

Burial  No.  27,  2  feet  8  inches  below  the  sloping  surface  of  the  mound,  be 
ginning  about  7  feet  from  the  center,  was  a  bed  of  slabs  of  limestone,  4  feet  7 
inches  by  3  feet  4  inches,  not  level  as  was  the  placement  of  slabs  with  Burial 
No.  7,  but  having  an  irregular  surface.  There  seemed  in  this  case,  moreover, 
to  be  a  tendency  toward  the  enclosed  burial  as  found  in  the  stone  box-graves, 
inasmuch  as,  in  addition  to  the  bed  of  slabs,  there  were  an  upright  slab  at  the 
head  of  the  bed  of  horizontal  slabs,  and  another,  also  vertical,  at  the  side  to  the 
left  of  the  slabs  but  at  a  short  distance  from  them.  Opposite  this  one  had  been 
placed  a  narrow  slab  and  a  mass  in  such  manner  that  the  part  of  the  placement 
containing  the  upper  portion  of  the  skeleton  was  surrounded  to  some  extent. 

The  skeleton  lay  on  its  left  side,  the  left  femur  closely  flexed  on  the  trunk, 
the  tibia  flexed  against  the  thigh.  The  right  femur  was  flexed  to  about  a  right 
angle  with  the  body,  the  tibia  closely  flexed;  the  right  arm  and  foream  extended 
diagonally  down  and  forward,  the  hand  being  below  the  left  knee;  the  left  arm 
and  forearm  were  directed  in  line  along  the  front  of  the  trunk. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


32!) 


Burial  No.  30,  at  the  bottom  of  a  pit  about  4.5  feet  deep,  was  a  stone  grave 
covered  to  the  top  of  the  pit  with  soil  having  an  admixture  of  shell  and  showing 
the  pit  had  been  dug  from  the  surface1  down.  The  stone  grave,  3  feel  (i  inches 
in  length  and  slightly  more  than  2  feet  in  maximum  width,  had  a  partial  covering 
and  on  one  side  two  slabs  standing  obliquely,  with  an  opening  between  them 
at  the  lower  part  but  in  contact  at  the  upper  edges.  The  covering  slabs,  except 


Fl<;.  (>7. — Burial  No.  150.  A  placement  (if  slabs  3  feet  (>  inches  by  2  feet .  over  all,  above  a  skelet  OH 
with  which  had  been  interred  parts  of  another  skull,  visible  in  the  illustration.  Mound  D,  Williams 
Landing,  Ala. 

in  one  instance,  did  not  rest  on  the  upright  ones,  being  immediately  on  the  bones 
which  were  on  the  ground. 

The  skeleton  lay  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  both  humcri  along  the  trunk 
but  somewhat  toward  the  front,  the  forearms  flexed  to  them,  bringing  the  hands 
in  front  of  the  face,  though  not  covering  it.  The  skull,  over  which  no  slab  had 
been  placed,  may  be  seen  in  the  photograph  (Fig.  07). 

3l>  JOt'HN.   A.    X.   S.   1'HILA.,   Vol..    XVI. 


330  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

A  curious  feature  connected  with  this  burial  was  that  between  its  back  and 
the  oblique  slabs  was  a  space  which  had  been  filled  by  placing  side  by  side, 
their  upper  surfaces  exposed,  two  large  fragments  of  the  skull-cap  of  another 
skeleton.  These  also  show  in  the  photograph,  as  they,  too,  were  without  covering 
of  slabs.  The  fragments  were  of  a  darker  shade  than  the  skeleton,  apparently 
through  long  exposure  or  the  result  of  a  stain. 

Burial  No.  31,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  was  the  only  one  from  this  mound 
whose  skull  was  in  a  condition  to  save. 

Burial  No.  32,  in  the  sloping  side  of  the  mound,  was  a  pit  3  feet  4  inches 
deep,  the  lower  part  3  feet  9  inches  long  and  2  feet  9  inches  in  width,  very  dis 
tinctly  marked  and  sharply  rectangular,  though  it  could  not  be  determined 
with  certainty  whether  the  pit  began  at  the  surface  or  somewhat  below  it.  On 
the  base  of  this  pit  lay  a  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  the  right  humerus 
extending  along  the  thorax,  the  forearm  closely  flexed  on  the  humerus;  the 
left  arm  and  forearm  arranged  in  like  manner  except  they  lay  below  the  thorax. 

Above  the  skeleton,  to  a  depth  of  about  10  inches,  the  grave  had  been  filled 
with  mussclshells  and  masses  of  rock,  having  no  admixture  of  soil.  Above 
the  skull,  but  having  a  layer  of  shells  between,  were  three  masses  of  fossiliferous, 
silicious  vein  material,  one  about  the  size  of  a  child's  head,  one  about  five  times 
larger,  and  one  intermediate.  The  upper  surfaces  of  these  masses  were  in  line 
with  the  top  of  the  shell  deposit.  About  at  the  level  of  their  bases  was  a  slab 
of  limestone  1  foot  8  inches  by  1  foot  2  inches,  by  2  inches  in  thickness,  having 
shells  above  it  and  below  it.  To  one  side  of  this  slab  was  a  somewhat  smaller 
one  of  the  same  material,  at  a  slightly  lower  level.  On  top  of  the  shells  was  a 
small  mass  of  rock.  None  of  these  slabs  or  masses  was  in  contact  with  the  bones. 

Burial  No.  34,  extended  on  the  back,  lay  almost  at  the  center  of  the  mound, 
on  or  slightly  above  the  base.  No  mark  of  fire  was  near  it,  though  at  one  spot 
the  pelvis  was  charred  and  the  upper  part  of  the  skull  lay  in  fragments,  badly 
burnt,  the  lower  jaw,  however,  being  intact.  This  burial  lay  but  a  short  dis 
tance  from  the  deposit  of  calcined  bones,  and  may  have  been  affected  by  the 
fire  that  reduced  them,  which,  however,  must  have  been  elsewhere  than  in  the 
mound. 

The  other  burials  in  the  mound  consisted  of  twenty-nine  adults  and  seven 
children,  disposed  as  follows:  at  full  length  on  the  back,  closely  flexed  on  the 
right  and  on  the  left,  closely  flexed  to  the  right,  partly  flexed  on  the  right  and 
on  the  left,  partly  flexed  to  the  right. 

No  attempt  at  orientation  was  noticeable  in  the  burials  in  this  mound. 

Besides  objects  already  described  in  connection  with  burials,  there  were 
found:  small  bits  of  mica  near  the  skull  of  an  adult  skeleton;  two  arrowheads 
of  flint,  one  at  the  pelvis  of  an  adult  burial,  one  near  the  shoulder  of  another; 
a  few  badly-decayed  shell  beads  near  the  neck  of  a  child. 

Apart  from  the  burials  described,  but  often  near  scattered  bones,  were: 
seven  beads  of  shell,  found  together;  fifteen  arrowheads  or  in  some  instances 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  331 

possibly  small  knives,  of  flint,  some  carelessly  made,  one  of  the  better  ones 
being  shown  in  Fig.  08;  two  ornaments  of  sheet-copper,  found  separately,  each 
1.75  inch  in  diameter,  bosses  with  central  depressions,  having  each  a  central 
perforation;  fragments  of  sheet-copper  found  in  three  instances;  an  ornament 
made  of  impure  graphite,  similar  in  shape  to  those  of  sheet-copper,  but  thicker, 
l.o  inch  in  diameter  (Fig.  69). 


FK;.    08. — Arrow-point   of   flint.     Mound    D,  FIG.     09. — Ornament    of     impure     graphite. 

Williams  Landing,  Ala.     (Full  size.)  Mound  D,  Williams  Landing,  Ala.     (Full  size.) 

Extending  from  the  base  of  the  mound  a  few  inches  into  the  yellow,  bottom 
soil  was  a  circular  deposit  of  water-worn  pebbles,  broken  and  whole,  the  largest 
about  the  size  of  two  clenched  hands. 

The  shell-heap,  which  was  but  a  few  yards  from  the  river,  after  the  first 
foot  had  been  dug  away,  proved  to  be  almost  solid  shell.  Its  investigation 
was  not  further  pursued. 

MOUNDS  AND  DWELLING-SITE  ON  BRIDGEPORT,  OR  LONG,  ISLAND,  JACKSON 
COUNTY,  ALABAMA,  AND  MARION  COUNTY,  TENNESSEE. 

Bridgeport  Island,  or  Long  Island,  as  it  is  variously  called,  has  the  lower 
end  in  Alabama  and  the  upper  part  in  Tennessee,  the  state  line  passing  between 
the  mounds  on  the  island,  the  large  mound  being  in  Tennessee,  the  two  smaller 
ones  in  Alabama. 

The  mounds,  three  in  number,  in  sight  from  the  water,  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  island,  near  its  lower  end,  are  near  together  and  form  a  triangle  of  which 
the  largest  mound  is  the  apex.  Bridgeport  Island  belongs  to  Mr.  John  F. 
Brown,  who  lives  nearby  on  the  mainland.  Mr.  Brown  does  not  desire  any 
digging  on  the  place. 

The  largest  mound,  on  which  is  a  small  frame  structure,  has  been  quadrangu 
lar  with  flat  top,  evidently  a  domiciliary  mound.  Its  height  is  slightly  more 
than  24  feet,  its  base  is  about  130  feet  square. 

The  mound  farthest  from  the  water  has  a  circular  base  about  .").")  feet  in  diam 
eter  and  is  7  feet  high.  It  is  nearly  flat  on  the  summit  at  present,  but  has  the 
appearance  of  having  been  dug  into,  and  may  have  had,  at  one  time  a  more 
conical  outline. 


332  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

Nearest  the  water  is  a  mound  which  presumably  has  been  leveled  to  some 
extent  to  accommodate  a  barn  standing  on  it.  Also,  it  has  been  greatly  trampled 
by  cattle  and  is  of  very  irregular  outline.  Its  present  height  is  9  feet;  its  diameter, 
about  110  feet, 

Near  the  mounds  is  a  dwelling-site  with  much  shell  on  the  surface,  and  some 
other  debris,  including  fragments  of  pottery. 

Mr.  Brown,  the  owner  of  this  place,  has  some  celts  and  pottery  vessels  dug 
from  it,  the  vessels  being  of  inferior  ware  and  of  commonplace  form. 

PART  III. 
TENNESSEE  RIVER  IN  EASTERN  TENNESSEE. 

Our  expedition  has  now  left  Alabama  and  the  concluding  part  of  the  investi 
gation  is  in  eastern  Tennessee. 

Mounds  and  Sites. 

Dwelling-site  on  Burns  Island,  Marion  County. 

Mound  and  Dwelling-site  at  the  Mouth  of  Sequatchie  Creek,  Marion  County. 

Dwelling-sites  at  Shcllmound,  Marion  County. 

Dwelling-sites  near  Riggles  Ferry,  Marion  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Bennett  Place,  Marion  County. 

Mound  and  Dwelling-site  on  the  White  Place,  Marion  County. 

Williams  Island,  Hamilton  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Carter  Farm,  Hamilton  County. 

Mound  and  Dwelling-site  at  Williams  Island  Ferry,  Hamilton  County. 

Dwelling-site  and  Mounds  on  the  Hampton  Place,  Hamilton  County. 

Dwelling-site  on  Chattanooga  Island,  Hamilton  County. 

Citico  Mound  and  Site,  Hamilton  County. 

Mound  on  the  Bell  Place,  Hamilton  County. 

Mounds  on  the  McKenzie  Place,  Hamilton  County. 

Mounds  below  Harrison  Ferry,  Hamilton  County. 

Mound  on  the  Hixson  Place,  Hamilton  County. 

Mound  at  Lovelady  Landing,  Hamilton  County. 

Mound  near  Lovelady  Landing,  Hamilton  County. 

Mound  below  Igou  Ferry,  Hamilton  County. 

Dwelling-site  on  the  Davis  Place,  James  County. 

Mound  and  Site  on  the  Eldridge  Place,  James  County. 

Mounds  and  Sites  on  Hiwasscc  Island,  Meigs  County. 

Mounds  near  Armstrong  Ferry,  Mcigs  County. 

Mounds  near  mouth  of  Mud  Creek,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  near  Gillcspie  Landing,  Rhea  County. 

Mound  near  Hoyal  Ferry,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Spencc  Place,  Rhea  County. 


u 


MAP  OF  TENNESSEE  RIVER  IN  EASTERN  TENNESSEE 


o  _  3  _  ra 


Scale  in  miles 
1913 


334  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Mound  on  the  Jones  Place,  Meigs  County. 

Mound  on  the  McDonald  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  near  Cook  Landing,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  near  Viniard  Landing,  Rhea  County. 

Mound  on  the  Luty  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mound  on  the  Keyforver  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Kimbrough  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Wheelock  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Garrison  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Lower  Hampton  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  at  Euchee,  Meigs  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Upper  Hampton  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mound  near  Red  Cloud  Ferry,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Hope  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Cagle  Place,  Rhea  County. 

Mounds  near  Jackson  Ferry,  Meigs  and  Roane  Counties. 

Mounds  on  the  Fitzgerald  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Campbell  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  near  Rockwood  Landing,  Roane  County. 

Mound  on  the  Hood  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Butler  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Ewing  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Tedder  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  De  Armond  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Evans  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  near  Hood's  Ferry,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Goodwin  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Biss  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  on  Long  Island,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  near  Huffine  Ferry,  Roane  County. 

Mound  on  the  Pickles  Place,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  near  Paint  Rock  Creek,  Roane  County. 

Mounds  near  mouth  of  Pond  Creek,  London  County. 

Mound  near  Cave  Creek,  Roane  County. 

Mound  on  the  E.  E.  Blair  Place,  London  County. 

Mound  on  the  W.  W.  Blair  Place,  Loudon  County. 

Mound  opposite  Loudon,  Loudon  County. 

Mound  on  the  Carmichael  Place,  Loudon  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Arthur  Place,  Loudon  County. 

Mound  near  Lenoir  City,  Loudon  County. 

Mounds  opposite  Lenoir  City,  Loudon  County. 

Mounds  on  the  Edward  Prater  Place,  Blount  County. 

Dwelling-sites  on  the  S.  E.  Prater  Place,  Blount  County. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  :«f> 

Dwelling-site  on  Grant  Island,  Blonnt  County. 
Dwelling-site  on  Cox  Island,  Knox  County. 
Dwelling-site  on  Prater  Island,  Knox  County. 
Mound  and  Site  on  the  Jackson  Place,  Blount  County. 
Dwelling-site  near  Little  River  Shoals,  Knox  County. 
Mound  opposite  Looney  Island,  Knox  County. 
Mound  near  Knoxvillc. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  BURNS  ISLAND,  MARION  COUNTY. 

Burns  Island,  belonging  to  Mr.  Leroy  Peoples,  has  upon  it  two  rises  on 
which  are  frame  structures,  and  a  dwelling-site  with  much  shell  upon  it.  Per 
mission  not  granted. 

MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITE  AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  SEQUATCHIE  CREEK,  MARION 

COUNTY. 

On  the  lower  side  of  Sequatchie  creek,  at  its  union  with  Tennessee  river,  is  a 
large  property  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  S.  Wilson,  who  resides  somewhat  back  from 
it  on  the  hills. 

In  full  view  from  the  river  is  a  mound  to  some  extent  on  sloping  ground, 
so  that  measurement  of  height  depends  on  whence  it  is  taken.  It  would  be 
safe  to  call  the  height  of  the  mound  20  feet,  approximately.  This  mound, 
doubtless  domiciliary  and  quadrangular  with  a  flat  top  in  the  past,  at  the  time 
of  our  visit  was  of  very  irregular  outline  through  cultivation  of  its  sides  and 
through  wash.  Its  basal  diameters  were  205  feet  and  185  feet. 

In  the  hope  of  coming  upon  superficial  burials,  trial-holes  were  sunk  in  the 
summit-plateau,  but  with  the  exception  of  one,  where  a  few  fragments  of  human 
bones  were  encountered,  nothing  was  found,  and  all  the  holes  soon  reached 
raw  clay  in  which  burials  could  hardly  be  expected. 

The  dwelling-site,  most  elevated  near  the  river,  extends  for  a  considerable 
distance  along  the  bank  at  varying  widths  to,  or  almost  to,  Sequatchie  creek, 
the  ending  of  the  site  being  apparently  about  in  line  with  the  mound,  which 
stands  somewhat  farther  back  from  the  river. 

On  the  surface  of  the  site  were  many  fragments  of  shell  and  some  of  stone 
and  of  pottery,  a  number  of  bits  of  the  latter  having  the  check-stamp  by  way  of 
decoration.  Complete  artifacts  were  almost  absent,  and  even  fragmentary 
ones  were  extremely  scarce,  a  few  arrowheads  or  knives  being  the  only  unbroken 
objects  gathered  superficially.  Careful  search  over  all  the  surface  of  the  site 
came  upon  no  human  bones,  nor  could  we  learn  of  any  history  of  the  discovery 
of  burials  or  of  artifacts  by  those  cultivating  the  place. 

Two  days'  digging  with  eight  men  at  work  at  this  site  failed  to  discover  a 
cemetery,  all  the  slight  rises  being  carefully  examined  to  no  purpose. 

The  midden  debris  on  this  property  extended  deeper  than  is  usually  the  case 
in  sites  of  this  kind,  some  of  our  trial-holes  going  between  7  and  8  feet  without 


336  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

reaching  undisturbed  soil,  though  the  black  earth  filled  with  fragments  of  shell, 
of  which  the  site  was  composed,  was  seldom  deeper  than  5  feet. 

But  three  burials  were  encountered,  all  considerable  distances  apart  and  at 
varying  depths,  hence  it  is  possible  that  the  makers,  who  must  have  occupied 
the  site  a  long  time,  however,  were  buried  here  and  there  throughout  all  its  extent 
and  that  their  remains  could  be  reached  only  by  long-continued  digging  which, 
under  the  circumstances,  would  not  be  wise  to  undertake. 

The  burials  were  not  in  graves  the  limits  of  which  could  be  traced,  but  prob 
ably  had  been  interred  in  rather  shallow  ones  dug  into  the  homogeneous  deposit, 
which  were  filled  by  the  return  of  the  material  taken  out.  The  unusual  depth 
of  two  of  them  can  be  accounted  for  by  the  probability  that  the  growth  of  the 
site  continued  long  after  the  burials  were  made. 

Burial  No.  1,  a  child,  6.5  feet  deep,  having  at  the  neck  four  well-preserved 
shell  beads,  the  largest  of  which,  an  oblate  sphere,  was  .75  inch  in  diameter. 

Burial  No.  2,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  lay  at  a  depth  of  somewhat  more 
than  2  feet,  the  pelvis  resting  in  a  good-sized  fragment  which  had  formed  part 
of  a  large  vessel  of  earthenware.  The  skeleton  lay  on  the  midden  soil,  earth 
blackened  by  admixture  of  organic  matter,  and  having  a  considerable  proportion 
of  shell,  but  was  covered  at  the  sides  and  on  top  by  a  deposit  of  sand,  10  inches 
deep  above  the  skeleton.  On  this  sand,  above  the  lower  part  of  the  trunk  of  the 
skeleton,  three  slabs  of  limestone  had  been  placed,  the  largest  19  inches  by 
17  inches,  and  2.5  inches  thick.  The  others,  much  smaller,  had  been  arranged, 
one  partly  beneath  the  large  slab,  the  other  beside  it. 

At  the  neck  of  the  burial  had  been  two  large,  tubular  beads  of  sheet-copper, 
much  of  which  had  corroded  away. 

Near  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  skeleton  was  a  placement  of  slabs  of  lime 
stone  in  the  form  of  a  rude  semicircle,  consisting  of  a  floor  of  slabs  laid  flat  and 
surrounded  on  the  peripheral  part  by  other  slabs,  set  vertically,  whose  upper 
surfaces,  however,  were  far  from  being  at  a  uniform  level.  The  floor  of  this 
combination  of  slabs  was  not  on  a  plane  with  the  burial,  which  was  considerably 
above  it,  at  about  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  vertical  slabs.  The  open  part  of 
the  placement  was  away  from  the  burial. 

This  placement,  which  had  a  basal  diameter  of  about  2  feet  and  was  2  feet 
9  inches  across  at  the  top,  had  a  depth  of  about  10  inches.  It  contained  no 
evident  sign  of  a  burial,  though  on  part  of  its  base  was  a  dark  deposit  that  may 
have  been  all  that  remained  of  the  skeleton  of  an  infant.  We  think  it  doubtful 
that  this  placement  had  any  connection  with  the  burial  near  which  it  was. 

Burial  No.  3,  a  child,  lay  7.5  feet  down  on  brown  sand.  Above  it  for  2.5 
feet  was  sand  similar  to  that  on  which  the  burial  lay,  but  having  a  slight  sprink 
ling  of  shell.  Above  this  was  the  black  soil  and  shell  of  the  midden  deposit. 
This  burial  must  have  been  made  at  an  early  stage  in  the  occupancy  of  the  site. 

Throughout  the  digging,  apart  from  burials,  were:  a  vessel  of  earthenware 
having  two  loop  handles,  and  knobs  at  considerable  distances  apart,  somewhat 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  337 

below  the  opening;  a  number  of  rude  spades  of  limestone,  the  largest  about 
10  inches  in  length;  several  Hints  with  sharp  points  and  cutting  edges,  the  largest 
4.75  inches  in  length;  several  small  flint  knives  and  scrapers;  half  of  a  bar- 
amulet  of  limestone;  an  amulet  of  similar  shape  and  material  but  without  per 
forations;  several  pebbles  worked  into  the  form  of  celts,  one  5  inches  long,  and 
given  unusually  sharp  cutting  edges;  a  small  triangular  point  of  flint;  a  curious 
tool  wrought  from  the  antler  of  an  elk,  slightly  more  than  G  inches  in  length 
(Fig.  70). 


FK;.  70. — Implement  of  elk  antler.     Scquatchie  creek,  Tenn.     (Full  si/e.1 

DWELLING-SITES  AT  SHELLMOUND,  MARION  COUNTY. 

The  name  of  this  place  is  derived  from  a  shell  deposit  formerly  there,  in  or 
near  which  human  bones  and  artifacts  were  found  when  the  railroad,  by  laying 
its  track,  cleared  away  the  shell-mound  and  adjoining  area.  The  place,  how 
ever,  had  been  dug  into  for  relics  since  the  time  of  the  Civil  War,  and  probably 
before. 

A  short  distance  N.  of  W.  from  the  railroad  station,  in  a  cultivated  field 
along  the  railroad  track,  belonging  to  Mr.  W.  Y.  Burnett,  resident  nearby,  was 
a  slight  rise  about  50  feet  in  diameter,  on  which  were  scattered  fragments  of 
shell  and  an  occasional  bit  of  stone.  Considerable  digging  showed  the  soil 
to  be  dark  with  organic  matter  and  having  a  considerable  sprinkling  of  shells, 
the  underlying,  undisturbed  ground  being  reached  somewhat  more  than  2  feet 
from  the  surface. 

A  single  trial-hole  resulted  in  finding  four  burials,  two  immediately  above 
two  others,  one  being  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  skull  of  which  was  saved; 
two  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  one  being  the  bones  of  an  adolescent.  The  fourth 
skeleton  was  that  of  a  child.  Considerable  digging  in  and  near  a  neighboring 
shell  deposit  was  without  success. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAII  HIGGLES  FERRY,  MARION  COUNTY. 

On  property  of  Mr.  William  Gowins,  who  lives  upon  it,  are  a  number  of 
dwelling-sites  having  little  on  the  surface  except  shell,  extending  for  half  a  mile 
down  from  the  ferry  in  fields  bordering  the  river.  Careful  digging  showed 

:«  JOl'KN.  A.  N.   S.    PI  1 1 1, A.,   VOL.   XVI. 


338  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

these  sites  had  but  little  depth  and  presumably  were  without  burials.  A  frag 
ment  of  pottery  bearing  a  complicated-stamp  decoration  was  picked  up  on  the 
surface. 

HALE'S  BAR,  DAM  AND  LOCK. 

Next  in  our  investigation  along  the  Tennessee  we  reach  the  dam  and  lock 
(shown  on  the  map)  which  recently  has  been  constructed  about  33  miles  by 
water  below  the  city  of  Chattanooga  and  which  has  transformed  Tennessee 
river  for  about  35  miles  up,  by  water,  into  a  kind  of  pool,  navigable  the  entire 
year,  and  furnishing  power  for  various  public  and  private  utilities  in  Chattanooga 
and  beyond. 

The  permanent  rise  in  the  river  above  this  dam,  while  of  great  benefit  in 
various  ways,  has  submerged  a  number  of  aboriginal  sites  which  our  agent, 
descending  the  river  before  the  dam  was  operative,  had  discovered  for  us,  though 
some  places  in  this  region,  fortunately  for  us,  were  on  ground  not  affected  by 
the  water. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  BENNETT  PLACE,  MARION  COUNTY. 

On  the  left-hand  side  of  the  river,  going  up,  is  a  large  property  belonging  to 
Mr.  Samuel  Bennett,  who  lives  somewhat  back  from  the  river,  on  the  hills. 
The  lower-lying  part  of  this  great  estate,  abreast  of  which  in  the  past  was  an 
island  noted  for  aboriginal  relics  discovered  there,  has  been  submerged  in  common 
with  the  island  since  the  completion  of  the  great  dam. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit  (November,  1914)  unusually  low  water  prevailed  in 
Tennessee  river,  and  in  consequence  several  small  islands  were  noticeable  in 
this  submerged  area,  all  in  full  view  one  from  another,  and  two  at  least  of  which 
owed  to  aboriginal  occupancy  their  height  above  the  general  level  of  the  sub 
merged  ground. 

MOUND  A. 

Mound  A,  that  nearest  the  river,  stood,  when  we  were  there,  on  ground 
oblong  in  outline  with  rounded  corners,  whose  extent  out  of  water  was  about 
120  feet  by  75  feet.  The  maximum  height  of  this  area  was  4.5  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  river  at  that  time. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  decide  from  the  exterior  just  what  part  of  this  area 
constituted  the  mound,  preliminary  excavations  were  made  which  soon  showed 
we  had  to  do  with  an  aboriginal  earthwork  of  a  most  unusual  kind,  in  whose 
making  the  ceremonial  use  of  fire  had  been  accorded  a  prominent  part. 

An  excavation  47  feet  by  65  feet,  including  the  highest  part  of  the  area  above 
water,  was  then  made,  which  showed  that  a  part  of  this  area,  about  34  feet  by 
61  feet,  had  been  devoted  to  burials  and  to  ceremonies  connected  with  fire,  as 
may  be  seen  on  the  plan  of  the  mound  (Fig.  71)  made  by  Doctor  Miller  on  the 
spot.  It  will  also  be  noted  that  a  few  scattered  burials  were  present  outside  the 
burnt  area. 


N 


\ 


\ 


\ 


-0, 


'«/// 


^eo/ 


e*Caw3/ 


Scalein  jeet 


IMC.  71.      Plan  of  Mound  .1,  .showing  l)iirials.     Bennett  Place,  Tciin. 


340  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Unfortunately,  the  base  of  the  mound  was  not  determined,  as  holes  sunk 
below  the  level  of  the  river  quickly  filled  with  water,  though  it  was  discovered 
that  layers  of  clay  reddened  by  heat  and  other  evidence  of  the  use  of  fire  were 
present  somewhat  below  water-level.  However,  as  no  burials  were  encountered 
at  a  depth  greater  than  3  feet,  except  a  stone  grave  which  will  be  described  in 
due  course,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  no  feature  of  special  importance  has  been 
omitted  from  our  investigation  of  this  interesting  mound. 

About  3  feet  below  the  highest  part  of  the  elevation  and,  of  course,  corre 
spondingly  less  under  the  slope,  was  clay  reddened  by  heat.  This  red  clay 
was  not  in  a  continuous  layer,  though  it  covered  most  of  the  area  where  it  was 
found,  but  seemed  to  have  been  spread  in  various  deposits  ranging  in  maximum 
thickness  between  2  or  3  and  16  inches,  the  last  being  very  exceptional. 

Between  these  deposits  of  reddened  clay,  some  of  which  were  much  more 
extensive  than  others,  were  spaces  of  limited  extent  but  sufficient  to  prevent 
the  deposits  from  forming  a  continuous  layer.  In  areas  where  burials  were 
not  present,  however,  and  yet  red  clay  was  found,  this  clay  was  scattered  over 
the  surface  and  not  arranged  in  heaps. 

At  about  the  same1  level,  immediately  beneath  the  deposits  of  burnt  clay, 
sometimes  individually,  sometimes  in  groups,  were  burials,  charred,  burnt,  or 
calcined,  as  the  case  might  be.  In  spaces  between  the  deposits  of  clay  also 
were  a  few  burials  unaffected  by  fire,  while  some,  partly  covered,  showed  the 
effect  of  heat  only  where  the  clay  had  rested  upon  them.  Moreover,  several 
burials  were  found  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  burnt  clay.  These  burials, 
however,  were  only  parts  of  skeletons — single  skulls  in  two  instances — which 
seemed  to  have  been  left  over,  as  it  were,  then  gathered  and  placed  on  the  clay 
after  it  had  been  distributed  above  the  other  burials.  That  the  clay  was  still 
hot  when  these  fragmentary  burials  were  placed  upon  it,  was  clearly  shown  by 
their  under  surfaces,  which  were  burnt;  their  upper  parts,  be  it  said,  showed 
no  trace  of  fire. 

The  degree  of  heat-action  exhibited  by  the  bones  seemed  proportionate  to 
the  thickness  of  the  reddened  clay  resting  upon  them,  some  being  only  charred, 
others  much  burnt,  while  many  were  calcined. 

Most  of  the  burials  lay  in  anatomical  order,  though  the  bones  were  often 
in  small  fragments.  A  few  of  the  burials,  however,  were  only  parts  of  skeletons 
which  probably  had  been  carried  out  as  such  from  the  dead-house  and  interred 
with  entire  skeletons  the  bones  of  which  were  still  held  together  by  ligaments. 

Below  such  burials  as  were  beneath  the  clay  was  a  layer  of  black  material, 
carbonized  by  heat,  an  inch  or  two  in  thickness.  This  material  was  the  remains 
of  matting,  fabric,  and  other  organic  matter  evident  in  the  carbonized  material, 
which  probably  constituted  the  lower  part  of  the  wrappings  of  the  burials  that 
had  escaped  the  fiercer  heat  above,  and  also  may  have  included  matting  placed 
ceremonially  on  the  ground  to  receive  the  burials. 

A  measurement  selected  at  random  in  the  course  of  the  excavation  was  as 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  341 

follows:  Clay  reddened  by  fire,  (>  inches  in  thickness;  below  the  clay,  bones  in 
order  but  calcined  and  crushed,  having  a  thickness  of  2.5  inches;  below  the 
bones,  carbonized  remains  of  matting,  etc.,  1.25  inch  thick. 

Below  burials  not  affected  by  fire  this  carbonized  layer  was  not  present, 
some  of  these  burials  lying  upon  a  thin,  dark  line  visible  through  the  mound 
and  which  probably  marked  a  period  of  occupancy.  This  layer  showed  the 
level  at  which  the  burnt  burials  lay  and  was  smooth  like  a  floor.  The  ground 
beneath  the  unburnt  burials,  however,  was  comparatively  soft,  while  under  those 
which  lay  below  the  reddened  clay  the  soil  was  hardened  though  not  discolored 
by  heat. 

We  shall  now  discuss  the;  method  adopted  by  the  aborigines  for  the  crema 
tion  which  probably  took  place  at  one  time.  The  reddened  clay  was  made  up 
of  masses  of  different  sizes,  some  bearing  imprints  of  reeds,  grass,  etc.,  and 
seemed  to  have  formed  part  of  a  wattle-and-daub  building  or  buildings,  the 
burning  of  which  in  connection  with  aboriginal  burials  has  been  described  in 
the  case  of  an  Arkansas  mound,1  and  of  the  kind  found  by  us  at  the  base  of  the 
large  mound  on  Little  Island,  South  Carolina,'2  though  this  had  not  been  de 
stroyed  by  fire. 

It  seems  likely,  then,  that  a  building  or  buildings,  the  limits  of  which,  how 
ever,  we  were  unable  to  determine  by  the  presence  of  post-holes,  were  burnt  and 
that  some  of  the  clay  which  fell  at  the  collapse  of  the  structure,  while  still  in 
tensely  hot,  was  piled  over  the  bones,  covering  most  of  the  burials  completely 
but  leaving  parts  of  some  uncovered,  and  the  areas  shown  on  the  plan  containing 
no  burials,  which  showed  burnt  clay  to  a  lesser  extent  than  the  other  parts, 
were  spaces  from  which  the  clay  had  been  gathered  to  heap  over  the  burials, 
some  of  it,  however,  being  left. 

In  different  parts  of  the  mound  two  trenches  were  encountered  in  connection 
with  post-holes,  but  these  trenches  and  holes  penetrated  the  red  clay  we  have 
described  and  the  burials  beneath  it,  and  consequently  were  not  of  their  period. 
They  belonged,  presumably,  to  another  deposit  of  clay  reddened  by  fire,  which 
\vas  encountered  in  the  mound,  about  14  inches  above  the  one  we  have  described. 
No  burials  lay  immediately  below  this  upper  deposit,  which  differed  from  the 
lower  one  in  that  it  was  not  heaped  up  in  places,  but  extended  evenly  and  had 
mingled  with  it  charcoal,  carbonized,  coarse  matting,  thatching,  etc.  Pre 
sumably,  after  the  mound  had  been  filled  in  over  the  burial  layer,  another 
structure  was  erected  which  in  its  turn  was  destroyed  by  fire,  though  perhaps 
not  intentionally,  and  in  all  events  not  in  connection  with  burials. 

Our  theory  as  to  the  method  pursued  by  the  aborigines  in  connection  with 
the  bones  showing  evidence  of  the  effect  of  heat  is  as  follows:  But  little  charcoal 
was  present  in  or  on  the  red  clay  above  the  burials,  none  being  found  over  con- 

1  12th  An.  Hep-  Hi"-.  Am.  Ktlin.,  p.  20l>  cl  seq. 

- ''('<Tt:iin  AliorisiiiKtl   Mounds  of  the  Coast  of  South  Carolina,"  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sri.  Phila., 

Vol.  xi,  p.  ir>4. 


342  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

siderablc  areas,  and  it  is  clear  that  the  bones  were  burnt  and  calcined,  not  by 
the  direct  use  of  fire,  but  through  contact  with  the  heated  clay  placed  upon 
them.  This  use  of  burnt  clay  in  connection  with  burial  rites  is  interestingly 
shown  in  connection  with  Burial  No.  62,  at  the  Citico  Place,  above  Chattanooga, 
described  in  this  report. 

We  shall  now  take  up  the  description  of  each  burial  found  in  Mound  A, 
prefacing  the  account  with  the  statement  that  the  entire  deposit  of  red  clay 
above  the  burials,  and  the  burials  themselves,  were  carefully  removed  with 
trowels,  and  that  no  account  is  taken  of  various  scattered  bones  present  in  the 
mound,  which  did  not  seem  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  designated  as  burials. 
All  burials  not  otherwise  described  showed  the  effects  of  heat  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent.  The  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  burials  are  of  adults  unless  otherwise 
stated.  As  the  plan  clearly  shows,  the  burials  headed  in  all  directions. 

Burial  No.  1,  a  child,  lay  outside  the  burial  layer  connected  with  the  red 
dened  clay  and  had  been  let  down  into  a  grave  which  cut  through  the  upper 
layer  of  burnt  earth.  This  burial,  of  course,  showed  no  trace  of  the  effect  of 
heat. 

Burial  No.  2,  a  child,  under  the  same  conditions  as  the  preceding  one,  had  a 
hatchet  of  indurated  shale,  6.2  inches  long,  at  the  left  hand. 

Burial  No.  3,  an  infant  in  a  grave  like  the  others,  having  a  few  shell  beads 
at  the  neck  and,  resting  on  the  skull,  what  had  been  a  handsome  ornament  of 
sheet-copper,  representing  an  eagle. 

Burial  No.  4,  a  child,  also  in  a  grave  apart  from  fire,  having  at  the  head  an 
urn-shaped  vessel  of  coarse  ware,  undecorated,  of  a  capacity  of  about  one  quart. 

Burial  No.  5  lay  extended  on  the  back,  the  left  arm  and  forearm  along  the 
body,  the  right  forearm  flexed  back  to  the  upper  arm,  which  was  somewhat  away 
from  the  trunk. 

Burial  No.  6,  on  the  back,  the  legs  slightly  flexed  to  the  right. 

Burial  No.  7,  closely  flexed,  face  down,  the  knees  slightly  to  the  left.  Charred 
fabric  and  beads  of  shell  were  at  the  pelvis.  These  beads,  like  all  found  in  this 
mound,  are  in  excellent  condition,  blackened  by  heat  but  not  otherwise  injured 
by  it. 

Burial  No.  8,  closely  flexed  on  the  right.  Under  the  skull  had  been  a  mat 
made  of  reeds,  and  a  flint  knife  8.4  inches  in  length. 

Burial  No.  9,  closely  flexed  to  the  left.  The  skull  of  this  burial,  which  pre 
sumably  had  been  in  small  fragments,  probably  had  been  thrown  out  in  making 
one  of  the  original  trial-holes. 

Burial  No.  10,  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  one  of  the  burials  described  as  showing 
no  trace  of  fire.  At  the  skull  was  a  chisel  of  indurated  shale,  4.1  inches  in  length. 
At  the  feet  was  a  small  arrowpoint  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  11,  closely  flexed  on  the  left.  At  the  knee  was  a  hatchet  5  inches 
in  length,  which  was  presented  to  Mr.  Bennett,  the  owner  of  the  property. 

Burial  No.  12,  closely  flexed  on  the  right.  Except  on  part  of  the  trunk, 
the  reddened  clay  was  absent  from  this  burial. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  343 

Burial  No.  13,  adolescent  extended  on  the  back. 

Burial  No.  14,  closely  flexed  face  down,  the  knees  to  the  left. 

Burial  No.  15,  closely  flexed,  face  down. 

Burial  No.  16,  an  aboriginal  disturbance  having  near  it  a  flint  knife  with 
both  ends  missing,  the  remainder  being  8  inches  in 
length,  and  an  undecorated  vessel  of  coarse  ware, 
badly  crushed. 

Burial  No.  17,  a  deposit  of  unburnt  bones  in  no 
order.  Near  these  was  a  small  pipe  of  claystonc 
(Fig.  72),  a  carbonized  coating  of  material  in  the 

.    .  .  ,  f  ,.  FIG.   72. — Pipe   of    day  stone. 

bowl  giving  evidence  of  former  use.  wuh  Burial  No    17     Benn(,tt 

Burial  No.  18,  closely  flexed  on  the  left.  pi.lCe,  Tenn.    (Full  size.) 

Burial  No.  19,  a  disturbance. 

Burial  No.  20,  a  deposit  of  unburnt  bones  or  a  disturbance,  having  two 
skulls,  etc.  Nearby  was  a  pointed  implement  of  bone. 

Burial  No.  21,  closely  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burial  No.  22,  closely  flexed  on  the  right.  Near  the  feet  was  an  ornament 
of  charred  wood  which  had  been  copper-coated,  containing,  in  a  hollow  space, 
small  pebbles.  Mr.  Charles  0.  Willoughby  considers  ornaments  of  this  class 
to  be  imitations  of  a  milkweed  pod  (Asclepias),  the  stones  representing  the 
seeds,  and  fiber  the  fleecy  material  present  in  the  pod  (see  page  263) .  In  this 
instance  no  fiber  was  found,  possibly  through  its  having  been  consumed. 

Burial  No.  23,  a  skull  and  bones  in  disorder,  unburnt. 

Burial  No.  24,  somewhat  similar  to  No.  23. 

Burials  Nos.  25  and  26,  closely  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burial  No.  27,  similar  to  Burials  Nos.  23  and  24. 

Burial  No.  28,  closely  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burial  No.  29,  a  child  having  four  bone  beads  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  30,  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  having  at  the  head  a  hatchet  of 
indurated  shale,  6.3  inches  in  length. 

Burial  No.  31,  closely  flexed  on  the  left. 

Burial  No.  32,  a  stone  grave,  rude  but  nevertheless  of  the  box-shaped  variety. 
the  covering  slabs,  which  had  fallen  in  from  one  side  and  consequently  slanted 
downward  considerably,  being  4  feet  below  the  surface.  The  depth  to  the 
bottom  of  the  grave,  which  was  a  fireplace  and  hard,  without  slabs,  was  5  feet. 
The  slabs,  of  limestone,  were  two  on  the  right  side,  three  at  the  left;  and  the 
covering  slabs,  which  were  two  in  number,  and  in  addition  a  fragment  on  the 
lower  part  of  the  grave.  At  the  head  was  a  single  slab,  but  none  was  present 
at  the  foot  of  the  grave,  for  a  cause  that  later  will  be  apparent.  Outside  measure 
ment,  the  grave  was  3  feet  10  inches  in  length  and  about  2  feet  in  width.  This 
grave  is  shown  in  Fig.  73,  the  water  which  collected  around  it  being  apparent  in 
the  illustration. 


344 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


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A&AO.  NAT.  SCI.   PHILA..  2ND  SEP.,  VOL.  XVI 


PLATE  VIII 


1  AND  2.     MOUND  ON  THE  BENNETT  PLACE,  VESSELS  OF  EARTHENWARE.     (FULL  SIZE; 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  345 

Within  the  grave  was  the  unburnt  skeleton  of  a  child  8  or  9  years  of  age, 
extended  on  the  hack,  the  right  arm  and  forearm  being  alongside  the  body,  the 
left  forearm  across  the  trunk. 

Between  the  top  of  the  skull  and  the  slab  at  the  head  of  the  grave  was  a 
space  9.o  inches  in  length  in  which  was  a  bowl  about  0.8  inches  in  diameter, 
resting  upright  on  a  rude  undecorated  pot.  In  the  bowl  was  a  spoon  carved 
from  a  musselshell,  which  rested  on  another.  In  the  spoon  were  four  barrel- 
shaped  beads  of  shell,  each  about  .5  inch  in  length.  The  space  to  be  occupied 
by  the  vessel  presumably  had  not  been  taken  into  account  when  the  grave  was 
constructed,  consequently  the  legs  of  the  skeleton  projected  beyond  the  foot  of 
the  grave;  hence  the  absence  of  the  foot-stone. 

This  bowl,  shown  in  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  1,  is  of  special  interest  in  that  it  has 
had  a  striking  design  painted  in  red  on  a  background  of  yellow  slip,  the  nature  of 
the  design  differing  entirely  from  anything  found  or  heard  of  by  us  along  Tennes 
see  river  except  between  the  Bennett  Place  and  Citico  creek,  about  thirty  miles 
farther  up,  where  fragments  of  vessels  of  this  kind  were  found,  as  was  also  the 
case  at  the  White  Place,  an  intermediate  point.  We  have  been  unable  to  learn, 
though  the  foremost  authorities  have  been  consulted,  that  designs  of  the  kind 
on  this  vessel  and  on  the  other  bowl  from  this  mound  have  been  discovered  else 
where  in  the  State  of  Tennessee.  Evidently  vessels  of  this  kind  belonged  to  a 
culture  local  and  restricted  in  area.  The  designs  shown  in  the  illustration 
appear  three  times  on  the  vessel.  The  white  evident  on  the  vessel  in  places 
is  not,  we  think,  due  to  color  applied  by  the  aborigines,  but  possibly  resulted 
from  exposure  to  heat,  though  not  at  the  time  of  the  fire  ceremony  in  this  mound. 

Burial  No.  33,  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  having  below  it  a  bone  implement 
badly  burnt. 

Burial  No.  34,  closely  flexed  on  the  left. 

Burial  No.  35,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  having  a  flint  knife,  pointed,  7.25 
inches  in  length. 

Burial  No.  36,  partly  flexed  to  the  left. 

Burial  No.  37,  extended  on  the  back. 

Burial  No.  38,  partly  flexed  to  the  left. 

Burial  No.  39,  partly  flexed  to  the  right.  The  upper  part  of  this  skeleton 
was  burnt,  the  extremities  projecting  beyond  the  clay.  At  the  outer  side  of  the 
knees  was  a  hatchet  of  silicious  material,  4.25  inches  in  length.  Lying  trans 
versely  on  charred  matting,  under  the  right  humerus,  just  above  the  elbow,  the 
edge  away  from  the  body,  was  a  celt  of  indurated  shale,  5.75  inches  in  length. 
A  small,  undecorated  vessel  in  fragments  was  on  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax. 
At  the  right  side  of  the  neck  was  a  pin  of  bone  having  a  blunt  point,  a  hair-pin, 
perhaps,  under  an  implement  of  indurated  shale,  4.5  inches  long,  having  a  blunt 
edge.  At  the  neck  of  the  burial  were  a  few  discoidal  shell  beads. 

Burials  Nos.  40  and  41,  partly  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burial  No.  42,  adolescent,  partly  flexed  on  the  left. 

:;i   ,101'HX.  A.   X.  S.   I'lIILA.,  VOL.   XVI. 


346  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  43,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  right  humerus  almost  at  a  right 
angle  from  the  trunk,  the  forearm  closely  flexed  on  it;  the  left  humerus  along  the 
thorax,  the  forearm  diagonally  upward  and  across  the  trunk. 

Burial  No.  44,  extended  on  the  back,  the  upper  arms  along  the  body,  the  right 
forearm  diagonally  across  the  trunk,  the  left  straight  down.  At  the  neck  were 
shell  beads. 

Burial  No.  45,  at  full  length,  face  down,  a  post-hole  having  removed  the 
skull,  the  legs  cut  through  by  a  trench  from  an  upper  layer  in  the  mound.  The 
upper  arms  were  parallel  to  the  trunk,  the  right  forearm  flexed  upward  across 
and  under  the  thorax,  the  left  closely  flexed  against  the  humerus. 

Burial  No.  46,  partly  flexed  on  the  left. 

Burial  No.  47,  trunk  face  down,  the  legs  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  right 
humerus  extending  almost  at  a  right  angle  to  the  body,  the  forearm  flexed  to  an 
acute  angle  with  the  upper  arm,  the  left  humerus  and  forearm  being  similarly 
disposed. 

Burial  No.  48,  disturbed  bones  of  an  adolescent,  Shell  beads  and  two 
small,  flint  arrowpoints  were  near  the  skull. 

Burial  No.  49,  a  mass  of  disarticulated  bones  together,  having  four  skulls, 
other  scattered  bones  being  nearby.  Having  been  placed  in  a  space  between 
two  deposits  of  red  clay  over  burials,  none  of  these  bones  showed  marks  of  fire. 
Over  part  of  this  deposit  of  unburnt  bones  were  grouped  four  masses  of  unburnt 
limestone,  the  largest  7.5  inches  by  6.5  inches. 

Burial  No.  50,  partly  flexed  on  the  left.  At  the  thorax  were  two  pebbles; 
shell  beads  were  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  51,  the  upper  part  of  the  trunk  face  down,  the  legs  partly  flexed 
to  the  right,  the  right  humerus  parallel  to  the  trunk,  the  forearm  closely  flexed 
against  it,  the  left  humerus  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees  from  the  body,  the 
forearm  flexed  under  the  trunk.  At  the  right  elbow  was  a  small  shell  disc, 
imperforatc.  At  the  neck  were  many  shell  beads  and  remains  of  a  long  mussel- 
shell  which  may  have  been  a  kind  of  pendant, 

Burial  No.  52,  closely  flexed  on  the  left.  In  the  space  between  the  thighs 
and  the  body  was  a  celt  of  indurated  shale,  7.1  inches  in  length.  The  handle 
of  this  celt  was  in  place,  but  was  so  badly  charred  that  it  fell  to  fragments  on 
removal.  This  burial  lay,  in  part  at  least,  on  a  kind  of  mat  made  of  reeds  or  of 
small  canes  placed  parallel  in  contact  and  joined  together  with  cords  crossing  at 
right  angles. 

Burial  No.  53,  closely  flexed  to  the  left. 

Burial  No.  54,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  both  humeri  somewhat  extended 
in  front  of  the  trunk,  with  the  forearms  partly  flexed  on  them.  At  the  neck 
were  shell  beads,  near  which  were  three  arrowheads.  All  the  projectile  points 
from  this  mound  are  of  medium  size  or  small,  triangular,  and  delicately  made. 

Burial  No.  55,  closely  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burials  Nos.  56,  57,  58,  all  disturbances,  having  been  put  in  disorder,  to 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  347 

some  extent,  by  an  aboriginal  trench.  At  the  neck  of  Burial  No.  50  were  shell 
beads.  Burial  No.  57  had,  at  the  neck,  a  hatchet  of  indurated  shale,  6.1  inches 
long,  having  a  handle  badly  charred  which  extended  under  the  upper  part  of 
the  thorax. 

Burial  No.  59,  extended  on  the  back.  Resting  on  the  pelvis  was  a  vessel  of 
coarse  ware  having  a  rude  head,  in  fragments,  which  has  been  restored  and 
proves  to  be  a  bottle  of  about  the  same  kind  as  that  found  with  Burial  No.  77, 
this  mound,  shown  in  Fig.  70.  The  bottle  from  this  burial  has  been  sent  to  the 
I'nited  States  National  Museum  (Accession  58442). 

Burial  No.  60,  a  disturbance. 

Burial  No.  61,  extended  on  the  back.  Under  this  burial  had  been  a  mat 
such  as  has  been  described  in  connection  with  other  burials  in  the  mound. 


FIG.  74.—  Gorget  of  shell.     With  Burial  No.  75.     Bennett  Place,  Tenn.     (About  full  size.) 

Burials  Nos.  62  and  63,  children,  the  small  skeletons  considerably  burnt. 

Burial  No.  64,  partly  flexed  on  the  left. 

Burial  No.  65,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  On  the  chest  had  been  an  ornament 
of  sheet-copper  reduced  to  small  fragments  when  found. 

Burial  No.  66,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  humeri  along  the  body,  the 
forearms  flexed  against  them.  At  the  neck  were  shell  beads;  under  the  skull 
was  a  handsome  knife  of  flint,  more  than  9.5  inches  in  length,  having  a  fine 
point  at  one  end,  neatly  rounded  at  the  other. 

Burials  Nos.  67  and  68,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  Burial  No.  68  having  shell 
beads  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  69,  partly  flexed  to  the  right. 

Burial  No.  70,  partly  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burial  No.  71,  closely  flexed  on  the  right. 

Burial  No.  72,  partly  flexed  on  the  left. 


348  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  73,  extended  on  the  back. 

Burial  No.  74,  at  full  length,  face  down. 

Burial  No.  75,  the  skeleton  of  a  child  about  two  years  of  age,  lay  in  a  grave, 
showing  no  mark  of  fire.  At  the  neck  were  five  globular  beads  of  shell  to  which 
had  been  attached  a  shell  gorget  of  unusual  shape  (Fig.  74).  Shell  beads  also 
were  at  the  ankles,  making  103  in  all  for  this  burial.  At  the  feet  was  a  painted 
bowl  about  5.5  inches  in  diameter  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  2)  of  the  fine  ware  noted  in 


vniiii.innnnn, 


FIG.  75. — Design  of  decoration  on  vessel  with  Burial  No  75.     (Half-size.) 

connection  with  the  bowl  from  the  stone  grave  in  this  mound.  This  bowl, 
standing  upright,  had  upon  it  a  pot  of  the  usual  coarse  ware,  having  two  loop- 
handles  and  containing  a  carved  spoon  of  shell. 

The  design  on  the  bowl,  part  of  which  suggests  the  swastika,  is  shown  in 
diagram  (Fig.  75),  the  painted  portions  represented  by  cross-hatch  lines.  This 
design  is  in  part  similar  to  one  on  a  bowl  from  New  Mexico,  described  by  Doctor 
Fewkes,1  and  incidentally  we  would  call  attention  to  a  dancing  female  figure  on 
a  vessel  described  in  the  same  work2  which  greatly  resembles  one  on  a  bowl  found 

1  J.   Walter  Fewkes,   "  Archaeology  of  the  Lower  Mimbres  Valley,"  Smithsonian  Misc.   Coll., 
Vol.  LXIII,  No.  10,  Fig.  31. 

2  Plate  I,  No.  2. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


349 


by  us  in  the  Rose  Mound1  on  St.  Francis  River,  Ark.  The  shade  of  the  pig 
ment  on  this  bowl  from  the  Bennett  mound  differs  from  that  usually  found  on 
aboriginal  ware  decorated  in  red,  being  richer  and  resembling  closely  the  color 
of  the  material  found  by  us  with  certain  burials  along  Red  river,  in  Arkansas, 
that  proved  to  be  red  oxide  of  iron  which  had  been  subjected  to  heat. 
Burial  No.  76,  partly  flexed  to  the  left. 


FIG.  76. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  No.  77.     Bennett  Place,  Tenn.     (Height  13.75  inches.) 

Burial  No.  77,  closely  flexed  on  the  right.  At  the  head  was  a  bottle  in 
man}7  fragments  which  have  been  put  together  (Fig.  76),  the  head  probably 
representing  that  of  some  animal  or  perhaps  a  human  head.  An  attempt  has 
been  made  to  indicate  the  ears.  At  the  neck  were  a  few  shell  beads. 

Burial  No.  78,  closely  flexed  on  the  left.  About  one  foot  from  this  burial 
lay  a  beautiful  ceremonial  axe  of  indurated  shale,  8.9  inches  in  length,  width  of 
blade  2.9  inches,  width  of  opposite  end  1.1  inch,  flaring  at  the  cutting  edge  as 

1  "Antiquities  of  the  St.  Francis  River,"  etc.,  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  Vol.  XIV,  Plate  XII. 


350 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


do  many  copper  axes  (Fig.  77).  Axes  of  this  kind  in  stone  are  uncommon,  but 
are  occasionally  met.  This  one,  however,  is  figured  on  a  much  larger  scale 
than  has  been  accorded  before  to  this  class  of  axes.  With  the  axe  were  three 
arrowheads  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  79,  partly  flexed  on  the  right.  This  burial  had  but  a  thin  deposit 
of  reddened  clay  above  it,  and  in  consequence  was  inconsiderably  burnt. 

Burial  No.  80,  extended  on  the  back. 


FIG.  77. — Ceremonial  axe.     With  Burial  No.  78.     Bennett  Place,  Tenn.     (Full  size.) 

Burial  No.  81,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  This  skeleton  lay  beyond  the 
red-clay  deposit  and  was  unburnt. 

Burial  No.  82,  extended  on  the  back. 

Burial  No.  83,  at  full  length,  face  down.  Shell  beads  were  at  the  pelvis. 
A  remarkable  feature  in  connection  with  this  burial  was  that  the  brain,  much 
reduced  in  size  but  retaining  its  shape,  was  found  in  place  in  the  skull,  which 
lay  in  fragments. 

This  interesting  specimen  was  given  by  us  to  the  Army  Medical  Museum, 
Washington,  D.  C.  A  letter  expressing  our  willingness  to  publish  a  communi 
cation  in  regard  to  it  remains  unacknowledged. 

Burials  Nos.  84  and  85,  children,  the  latter  skeleton  having  a  large  mussel- 
shell  at  the  head,  burnt  and  broken. 

Burial  No.  86,  a  skull  and  a  femur,  unburnt,  lying  beneath  a  mass  of  sand 
stone. 

Burial  No.  87,  extended  on  the  back,  the  arms  folded  on  the  chest,  the  legs 
crossed  near  the  ankles.  This  skeleton  lay  on  the  red  deposit  and  showed  no 
mark  of  fire.  At  the  neck  were  166  pearls  pierced  for  use  as  beads.  Shell  beads 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  351 

were  at  the  thorax  and  at  the  knees.     Three  vessels  of  coarse  ware,  undecorated, 
crushed,  had  been  in  line  parallel  to  the  right  thigh. 

Bnrial  No.  88,  adolescent,  extended  on  the  back.  At  the  left  thigh  were  a 
celt  of  indurated  shale,  3.7  inches  long,  with  double  cutting  edge,  and  a  coarse, 
undecorated  vessel  badly  crushed. 

Burial  No.  89,  partly  flexed  to  the  left.  Under  the  knees  was  a  coarse, 
undecorated  bowl,  and  a  vessel,  also  of  inferior  ware,  filled  with  carbonized 
organic  matter.  Near  the  skull  was  a  small,  earthenware 
pipe  (Fig.  78)  which  was  somewhat  broken  by  a  blow  from 
a  trowel  but  has  since  been  restored.  Near  this  burial  was 
an  object  of  wood  which  had  been  copper-coated. 

Burial  No.  90.  Rising  water  on  the  last  day  of  our  in 
vestigation  prevented  determination  as  to  the  form  of  this 
burial. 

Burial  No.  91,  adolescent,  slightly  flexed  to  the  left,  Oli- 
vella  shells,  pierced  for  suspension,  lay  with  this  burial.  FlG  7x.— pip,.  <>f 

Burial  No.  92,  disturbance.  earthenware.       With 

Found  apart  from  bones  or  near  scattered  ones  were  three    I5"""!  >>"<>•  v 
celts  of  moderate  size,  found  separately,  a  discoidal  of  quartz    ™))out  f^]|'Ki/(1 )'" 
(not  bicave),  4  inches  in  diameter;  a  ceremonial  axe  of  the 
hoe-shaped  variety,  of  indurated  shale,  5.8  inches  long;  and  two  small  knives 
of  flint.     The  ceremonial  axe  and  the  knives  lay  together,  just  below  the  sur 
face,  entirely  away  from  burials  and  probably  constituted  a  cache.     Holmes,1 
speaking  of  these  hoe-shaped  axes,  says:    'A  suggestion  of  cultural  connection 
with  South  America  is  found  in  the  frequent  occurrence  in  this   [Florida]  and 
other  Gulf  states  of   a  perforated  hoe-shaped   stone  implement  which   corre 
sponds  closely  with  a  type  of  ax  prevalent  in  South  America.     It  is  believed  to 
have  had  only  a  ceremonial  use  north  of  the  Gulf." 

Other  objects  found  were:  most  of  a  small,  shell  gorget  having  excisions  to 
form  a  cross  of  the  cardinal  directions;  two  large  musselshclls,  each  to  receive  a 
handle,  fitting  them  for  use  as  hoes;  an  imperforate  disk  of  shell  1.5  inch  in  diam 
eter;  a  rude,  undecorated  vessel  of  earthenware;  part  of  a  coarse  vessel  having 
had  an  animal's  head  as  decoration;  the  penis-bone  of  a  raccoon,  the  end  sharp 
ened  for  use  as  an  implement;  jaw  of  a  black  bear. 

MOUND  B. 

Mound  B,  a  few  yards  NNE.  from  Mound  A,  had  an  area  of  about  50  feet 
square.  Its  maximum  height  above  the  water  was  about  one  foot,  and  holes  n 
greater  depth  than  that  became  quickly  filled. 

'William  II.  Holmes,  "Areas  of  Ameriean  Culture  Characterization  Tentatively  Outlined  as 
an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  American  Antiquities,"  American  Anthropologist,  July  Sept.,  1914,  p.  -\'2:\. 


352  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

MOUND  C. 

A  short  distance  N.  by  W.  from  Mound  A  was  Mound  (',  on  a  very  irregular 
area  of  about  5,400  square  yards.  The  mound,  having  a  circular  base,  was  5 
feet  in  height  and  had  a  diameter  of  50  feet.  An  excavation  12  feet  square  was 
sunk  until  water  was  reached,  passing  through  dark  soil  containing  organic 
matter  but  having  no  trace  of  burials.  The  base  of  the  excavation  was  care 
fully  prodded  for  stone  graves,  but  without  success. 

A  short  distance  NNE.  from  mound  A  is  an  area  above  water,  somewhat 
greater  in  extent  than  is  that  upon  which  was  Mound  C  The  area  in  question, 
which  had  a  barn  upon  it  before  the  construction  of  the  dam,  had  no  elevation 
which  was  distinctly  a  mound.  At  its  highest  part,  however,  several  feet  above 
water-level,  trial-holes  showed  no  sign  of  aboriginal  occupancy  and  soon  reached 
undisturbed  subsoil. 

MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  WHITE  PLACE,  MARION  COUNTY. 

In  full  view  from  the  river,  on  property  of  Mr.  Taylor  White,  resident  upon 
it,  was  a  mound  7  feet  4  inches  in  height  and  52  feet  by  35  feet  in  diameter  of 
base,  which  was  said  never  to  have  been  dug  into  or  plowed  over.  The  dwelling- 
site  lies  between  the  mound  and  the  river. 

The  mound,  which  would  have  been  a  symmetrical,  blunt  cone  had  not  the 
marginal  parts  on  two  opposite  sides  been  plowed  away,  was  dug  by  us  to  the 
extent  of  an  excavation  14  feet  square,  sunk  centrally  and  including  a  consider 
able  portion  of  the  slope  as  well  as  all  the  summit,  there  having  been  practically 
no  level  space  on  the  top. 

What  was  seemingly  a  base  was  reached  at  a  depth  between  6.5  and  7  feet, 
the  clay  at  that  level  having  been  of  a  lighter  shade  than  was  that  of  which  the 
mound  was  composed.  Masses  of  sandstone,  some  about  double  the  size  of  a 
human  head,  others  of  greater  or  less  dimensions,  were  scattered  here  and  there 
in  the  mound  with  no  arrangement. 

About  9  inches  from  the  summit  was  a  human  skull  in  fragments,  much 
decayed. 

Four  feet  below  the  top  of  the  mound,  approximately,  but  somewhat  less 
from  the  sloping  surface  under  which  this  burial  lay,  were  traces  of  human 
remains,  indicating  a  burial  partly  flexed,  the  knees  to  the  right.  This  burial 
was  represented  by  traces  of  a  skull,  then  a  space  where  ribs,  vertebrae,  and 
arms  had  been,  and  then  traces  of  femora  and  tibise. 

In  a  grave  4  feet  7  inches  by  1  foot  10  inches,  extending  about  1  foot  below 
the  base  of  the  mound  and  very  clearly  denned  in  the  light-yellow  clay,  was  a 
skeleton  at  a  total  depth  of  about  8  feet,  considerably  decayed  and  fragmentary, 
but  in  much  better  condition  than  was  the  one  above  it  in  the  mound,  lying 
closely  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  directed  SSW.  Both  humeri  were  parallel 
to  the  body,  the  right  forearm  flexed  closely  against  the  upper  arm,  the  left 
forearm  across  the  body.  This  burial  lay  at  the  end  of  our  excavation. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

About  central  as  to  the  base  and  extending  1  foot  4  inches  into  the  yellow 
clay  below  it,  was  a  grave  in  the  form  of  a  wide  ellipse,  (i  feet  by  4  feet,  approxi 
mately,  containing  a  much-decayed  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head 
NNE.,  the  whole  burial  being  indicated  simply  by  small  fragments.  The 


FIG.  79. — Grave  in  the  center  of  the  base  of  the  mound,  6  feet  by  4  feet,  having  an  arrangement 
of  stones  placed  over  a  skeleton,  the  crushed  skull  of  which  is  visible  in  the  illustration.  White  Place, 
Tenn. 

skeleton  had  been  placed  immediately  on  the  base  of  the  grave,  and  directly  on 
the  skeleton  and  around  it  had  been  arranged  irregularly  twenty-six  blocks  of 
sandstone  as  shown  in  Fig.  79,  a  .space,  however,  having  been  left  uncovered 

35  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  1'HILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


354 


ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


over  and  around  the  skull,  which  was  in  fragments  when  found,  as  shown  in  the 
illustration.     No  artifacts  of  any  kind  lay  with  this  burial. 

The  dwelling-site,  of  limited  extent,  but  which  perhaps  had  been  in  part 
submerged  when  the  dam  caused  the  rise  in  the  river  at  this  place,  was  of  sandy 
loam  and  was  known  in  the  vicinity  as  a  place  where  bones  had  been  exposed  by 
plowing. 

Fifty-one  trial-holes,  however,  showed  that  burials  were  widely  apart  in  it, 
only  four  being  found,  as  follows:  one  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  which  had  been 

somewhat  disturbed  by  cultivation;  another  ly 
ing  with  the  trunk  face  down,  the  lower  extrem 
ities  closely  flexed  to  the  right,  the  upper  arms 
parallel  to  the  trunk,  having  the  forearms  flexed 
against  them,  this  burial  being  in  a  pit  15  inches 
below  undisturbed  ground  which,  at  that  spot, 
was  32  inches  deep;  a  third  burial,  27  inches 
down,  being  a  skull  and  thoracic  parts  with  the 
upper-arms,  the  rest  of  the  skeleton  having  been 
cut  away  by  a  pit  which  contained  no  burial; 
and,  lastly,  a  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the  right, 
the  head  ESE.,  3.5  feet  deep,  the  last  18  inches 
of  which  being  the  depth  of  a  grave  extending 
into  the  sand  underlying  the  field. 

Several  arrowheads  or  knives,  of  flint,  were 
found  in  the  soil  apart  from  burials,  as  was  an 
interesting  object  of  claystone,  shown  in  Fig.  80,  having  a  part  missing  when  dis 
covered,  which  has  since  been  restored,  none  of  this  part,  however,  showing  in 
the  illustration. 

WILLIAMS  ISLAND,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

Williams  Island,  which  belongs  to  Mr.  Walter  Hampton,  of  North  Chatta 
nooga,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  permission  to  investigate  a  number  of 
interesting  sites  on  Tennessee  river,  is  about  five  miles  by  water  below  Chatta 
nooga. 

The  island,  which  has  a  history,  both  local  and  otherwise,  of  aboriginal 
relics  discovered  there,  is  about  two  miles  in  length  and  one-half  mile  in  maxi 
mum  width. 

Its  principal  aboriginal  site  is  about  half-way  down  the  island,  on  the  eastern 
side,  bordering  the  water,  arid  is  a  small  field  of  rich,  dark  soil  having  some 
aboriginal  debris  scattered  over  the  surface.  In  this  field,  near  the  water's 
edge,  was  a  slight  elevation  in  which,  we  were  told,  the  principal  digging  had 
been  done  by  those  who  had  visited  Williams  Island  in  search  of  relics. 

Eight  trial-holes  were  sunk  by  us  in  this  elevation  to  underlying,  undisturbed, 
yellow,  sandy  soil,  which  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  from  2  to  3  feet  without 


FIG.     80. — Object      of     clay.stone. 
White  Place,  Tonn.     (Full  size.) 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

encountering  other  than  fragmentary  human  remains,  save  in  one  instance 
(Burial  No.  1)  where  a  grave  continued  into  the  subsoil,  containing  a  skeleton 
partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  S.,  at  a  depth  of  5  feet  2  inches.  Near  the 
skull  was  a  rude  flint  knife. 

Another  low  rise  a  short  distance  in  a  southerly  direction  from  the  first,  and 
ground  adjoining  buildings  near  the  rise,  contained  ten  burials,  full  details  as 
to  which  we  give,  not  because  anything  of  marked  interest  was  found  with  them, 
but  for  the  reason  that  Williams  Island  is  so  famous  a  spot  for  the  discovery  of 
aboriginal  remains. 

Burial  No.  2,  the  trunk  prone,  the  legs  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  humeri 
parallel  to  the  body,  the  right  forearm  flexed  against  the  upper  arm,  the  left 
forearm  in  line  with  the  upper  arm,  the  head  N.  by  E.,  depth  34  inches. 

Burial  No.  3,  extended  on  the  back,  the  head  directed  N.  by  E.,  depth  22 
inches.  At  the  outer  side  of  the  left  thigh  were  two  small  knives,  one  a  chipped 
pebble,  the  other  a  flake  of  flint;  a  shell  ear-plug;  a  small  shell  disc;  a  few  beads 
made  by  perforating  marine  shells  (Marginella  apicina);  two  bone  beads;  two 
small,  tubular  beads  of  copper — a  strange  collection  strangely  placed  unless  we 
consider  them  to  have  lain  together  in  a  bag. 

Burial  No.  4,  aboriginal  disturbance. 

Burial  No.  5,  aboriginal  disturbance  including  three  skulls. 

Burial  No.  6,  a  child,  20  inches  down. 

Burial  No.  7,  adolescent,  extended  on  the  back,  the  head  W.,  lay  at  a  depth 
of  2  feet,  in  a  grave.  Above  the  skeleton  and  for  some  distance  up  in  the  grave 
were  materials  from  a  fireplace,  including  clay  colored  red  by  heat,  ashes,  and 
charcoal.  In  places  burning  wood  had  been  in  direct  contact  with  the  skeleton, 
as  the  face,  the  front  of  the  thorax,  and  the  front  of  the  right  knee,  on  all  of 
which  lay  charcoal,  were  charred,  while  the  under  part  showed  no  mark  of  fire. 

Burial  No.  8,  adolescent,  extended  on  the  back,  the  head  W.,  depth  18  inches. 

Burial  No.  9,  at  full  length  on  the  back,  the  head  N.,  depth  32  inches. 

Burial  No.  10,  a  child  lying  at  full  length  on  the  back,  the  head  S.,  22  inches 
down.  A  pot  having  two  loop  handles,  and  small,  coarse,  lined  decoration 
below  the  rim,  lay  at  the  left  of  the  skull. 

Burial  No.  11,  extended  on  the  back,  the  head  directed  toward  S.,  depth 
3  feet.  Between  the  shin-bones  was  a  small,  cutting  implement  of  chipped 
flint,  and  a  similar  one  lay  at  the  left  of  the  skull.  Seventy-two  shell  beads 
were  at  the  neck. 

In  the  soil,  apart  from  human  remains,  were  a  considerable  number  of  pottery 
disks,  found  separately.  One  of  sandstone  has  incised  on  one  side  a  cross  and 
on  the  other  side  a  small  central  depression  with  six  about  equidistant  lines 
radiating  from  it. 

There  were  also  found  in  the  dark  earth  a  number  of  flint  arrowheads,  grace 
fully  made,  some  small  but  not  more  so  than  are  present  in  many  aboriginal 
sites  along  Tennessee  river;  a  large  part  of  a  bowl  having  knobs  around  the  mar 
gin;  a  leaf-shaped  implement  of  flint,  3  inches  in  length;  jaw  of  a  black  bear. 


35G  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

Here  ends  the  description  of  the  sites  into  which,  it  is  believed,  relic-hunters 
have  dug  before,  the  remaining  two  sites  having  been,  we  are  confident,  undis 
turbed  before  our  visit. 

About  one-quarter  mile  above  the  lower  end  of  the  island  is  a  restricted 
area  of  dark  soil  having  fragments  of  shell  and  bits  of  flint  on  the  surface.  No 
rise  was  apparent. 

Thirteen  trial-holes  came  upon  two  burials,  as  follows: 

Burial  No.  12,  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  NNE.,  depth  9  inches. 

Burial  No.  13,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  upper  arms  parallel  to  the  trunk, 
the  right  forearm  across  the  body,  the  left  forearm  flexed  against  the  humcrus. 

Bordering  the  water's  edge,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island  and  one-half 
mile,  approximately,  from  the  upper  end  of  it,  is  an  aboriginal  dwelling-site  of 
considerable  extent,  as  evidenced  by  the  character  of  the  soil  and  the  presence 
on  the  surface  of  fragments  of  shell,  of  stone,  and  of  pottery  to  a  limited  extent, 
one  bit  of  the  latter  bearing  a  design  conferred  with  a  stamp. 

Considerable  digging  in  this  place,  where  no  rise  was  apparent  above  the 
general  level,  yielded  two  burials: 

Burial  No.  14,  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  SW.,  lay  in  a  grave  more 
than  4  feet  deep. 

Burial  No.  15,  3  feet  down,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  upper  arms  along 
the  body,  the  right  forearm  closely  flexed  on  the  humerus,  the  left  forearm  in 
line  with  the  upper  arm.  The  skull,  which  was  directed  W.  by  N.,  was  saved 
in  excellent  condition.  A  piercing  implement  of  bone  lay  at  the  inner  side  of 
the  left  elbow.  This  burial  was  in  material  similar  to  the  surrounding  soil. 
No  limits  to  the  grave  could  be  determined. 

Here  ended  our  investigation  of  Williams  Island,  as  no  other  aboriginal 
sites  were  apparent.  It  would  not  have  surprised  us  to  have  found  no  burials 
on  this  island,  considering  the  cultivation  and  the  amount  of  digging  that  is 
said  to  have  taken  place  there,  but  to  find  so  few  and  comparatively  unin 
teresting  objects  interred  with  the  dead  at  this  well-known  place  was  entirely 
unexpected. 

We  may  not  leave  Williams  Island  without  reference  to  the  minute  arrow- 
points  alleged  to  have  been  found  there  and  along  Moccasin  Bend,  nearby. 

These  minute  points,  some  hardly  more  than  one-sixteenth  inch  in  length, 
are  well  known  to  archaeologists.  They  have  been  described  by  Professor 
Moorehead1  who,  however,  never  having  visited  the  locality,  of  course  had  to 
rely  on  statements  made  to  him.  Professor  Moorehead  says: 

"One  of  the  strangest  things  in  Middle  South  archaeology  is  the  high  art 
exhibited  in  the  exceedingly  small  points  found  at  Moccasin  Bend,  Tennessee 
river.  .  .  . 

"Col.  Young  [Col.  Bennett  H.  Young,  of  Louisville,  Ky.]  has  the  largest 

1  "Prehistoric  Implements,"  p.  168  et  seq. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  357 

collection  of  those  small  Tennessee  arrow-points  in  this  country.  Not  more 
than  500  have  been  found,  and  he  has  in  his  cabinet  a  collection  of  350.  They 
have  attracted  attention  and  created  much  interest  wherever  exhibited  and 
for  a  long  time  many  people  were  disposed  to  believe  they  were  counterfeit 
productions  of  the  present  time.  In  order  to  satisfy  himself  of  the  absolute 
authenticity  and  genuineness  of  these  arrow-points,  Col.  Young,  on  two  occasions 
visited  the  place  where  they  were  found.  He  crawled  on  his  hands  and  knees 
over  the  sand,  sifting  it,  and  after  three  days'  hard  work  secured  two  very  fine 
specimens  and  found  hundreds  of  broken  pieces,  showing  that  these  arrowheads 
were  made  at  Moccasin  Point  [Bend]  in  large  numbers.  The  spawls  from  the 
agate  and  flint  are  still  found  in  large  quantities;  but  whatever  race  made  them 
had  evidently  attained  the  highest  possible  skill  and  perfection  in  the  manu 
facture  of  arrowheads  and  obtained  a  knowledge  which  had  not  been  communi 
cated  to  other  tribes,  for  in  the  same  locality,  within  a  hundred  miles  of  this 
point,  no  similar  articles  have  ever  been  found." 

Descriptive  of  the  illustrations  of  some  minute  arrowpoints  and  other  small 
points  of  remarkable  appearance,  Professor  Moorehcad  quotes  Colonel  Young's 
letters  as  follows: 

"The  most  unusual  of  the  objects  on  this  card  is  the  flint  fish-hook,  which 
has  a  well  defined  barb.  The  small  drills  at  the  top  of  the  plate  and  one  at  the 
bottom  are  very  unusual,  some  have  square,  some  have  rounded  heads.  All 
of  these  came  from  Williams  Island  in  the  Tennessee  river,  at  Moccasin  Bend. 
They  are  not  only  of  splendid  material — many  of  them  being  of  agate — but  the 
points  are  very  sharp,  the  serration  is  regular  and  even,  and  the  shoulders  to 
the  points  are  not  only  very  much  prolonged  but  the  points  are  fine  as  a  needle. 
These  were  evidently  made  in  modern  times.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of 
such  serrations  on  arrowheads  of  such  small  size  without  the  use  of  metal  imple 
ments  of  some  kind,  either  for  the  purpose  of  sawing  the  material  from  which 
these  points  were  made  or  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  them." 

Colonel  Young  courteously  replied  to  inquiries  from  our  Academy  in  rela 
tion  to  his  connection  with  the  minute  arrowpoints,  stating,  among  other  things: 

"I  secured  nearly  all  these  small  arrowpoints.  I  first  got  them  from  a  dealer 
in  Cincinnati — long  since  dead — who  had  a  sort  of  trust  with  the  person  who 
found  them  in  Moccasin  Bend.  These  points  were  so  remarkable  that  their 
genuineness  was  questioned,  and  some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago  I  went  to  Chatta 
nooga  and  stayed  three  days.  I  got  numerous  perfect  ones.  The  way  I  secured 
them  was  to  take  the  sand  which  washes  down  from  the  first  and  second  dams 
of  the  Tennessee  river  and  at  the  deposit  where  then1  would  bo  a  pool  of  water 
caused  by  the  flow  from  the  first  and  second  dams  we  would  sift  the  sand  with  a 
very  fine  sifter  and  in  this  way  we  got  not  only  the  perfect  but  the  imperfect 
arrowpoints.  I  must  have  gotten  a  thousand  broken  ones,  some  fairly  good 
even  though  not  perfect." 

The  facts  as  to  these  minute  points  (so  far  as  it  is  advisable  to  publish  them 


358  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

in  the  JOURNAL),  determined  by  us  after  strenuous  search  on  the  surface  and 
by  digging,  and  by  repeated  interviews  with  persons  in  Chattanooga  informed 
on  the  subject,  during  a  visit  of  six  weeks  to  that  city  and  its  vicinity,  including 
Williams  Island  and  Moccasin  Bend,  and  later  by  correspondence  with  experts 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  are  as  follows: 

1.  None  of  these  points  was  found  by  us  on  the  surface  or  in  graves.     Had 
the  points  been  made  near  the  river-bank  and  then  some  washed  to  places  along 
the  stream,  one  certainly  would  expect  others  to  have  been  carried  inland  and  left 
on  the  surface  or  deposited  with  burials. 

2.  No  one  living  on  Williams  Island  or  along  Moccasin  Bend  seems  to  know 
anything  of  the  presence  of  these  minute  points  there,  either  now  or  in  the  past; 
and  citizens  of  Chattanooga,  well  informed  as  to  the  matter,  have  sought  them 
in  vain  and  know  of  no  proof  of  their  actual  discovery,  and  from  various  details 
connected  with  these  arrowpoints  are  inclined  to  consider  them  fraudulent. 

3.  Years  ago  these  arrowheads  were  put  on  the  market  in  great  numbers1 
by  a  citizen  of  Chattanooga,  a  dealer  in  curiosities  and  in  relics  purporting  to 
come  from  the  battlefields  around  Chattanooga,  who  later  obtained  a  distributing 
agent  for  the  arrowheads  in  Cincinnati,  to  widen  the  market  for  them. 

4.  Colonel  Young,  of  whose  good  faith  in  this  matter  there  is  no  question, 
when  he  obtained  the  minute  arrowpoints  in  place  did  so  under  the  guidance  of 
this  original  vendor.     Williams  Island  is  but  a  short  distance  from  Chattanooga. 

5.  Though  the  original  vendor,  it  is  said,  used  to  state  that  some  of  the 
minute  arrowheads  had  been  found  on  Williams  Island  by  boys,  there  is  no 
proof  of  any  of  these  small  arrowpoints  having  come  into  the  possession  of  any 
one  except  through  the  original  vendor  or  through  those  in  his  company  when 
the  alleged  discovery  was  made. 

6.  In  the  foregoing  statement  no  consideration  has  been  accorded  to  the 
minute  arrowpoints  on  sale  until  recently  or  to  the  present  time  by  a  well-known 
fakir  in  Virginia  and  by  parties  in  the  western  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  region. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  CARTER  FARM,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

The  Carter  Farm,  opposite  Williams  Island,  belonging  to  the  Chattanooga 
Estates  Company,  C.  E.  James,  Esq.,  President,  has  three  mounds  on  it  all 
in  sight  from  one  another  and  from  the  river  bank. 

MOUND  A. 

Mound  A,  the  most  westerly  of  the  three,  is  in  a  cultivated  field  and  evidently 
has  been  greatly  spread  by  the  plow.  Its  present  height  is  slightly  less  than 
4  feet;  its  diameter,  60  feet.  Eight  trial-holes,  which  included  most  of  the 
mound  other  than  the  marginal  parts,  came  upon,  in  one  instance,  a  double 
burial  in  the  center  of  the  base  of  the  mound,  which  seemed  to  have  been  placed 

1  We  know  of  the  present  whereabouts  of  more  than  six  hundred. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   OX   TENNESSEE    RIVER.  359 

on  the  original  surface  soil,  which  was  about  (i  inches  in  thickness  and  rested 
upon  undisturbed  yellow  clay. 

The  grave  had  been  filled  in  for  a  depth  of  about  one  foot  with  musselshells, 
having  a  small  admixture  of  clay.  From  this  depth  upward  the  proportion  of 
shells  mingled  with  the  soil  became  gradually  smaller  until  at  the  top  scattered 
shells  were  found  only  here  and  there.  Elsewhere  in  the  mound  no  such  deposit 
of  shells  was  encountered,  and  it  was  evident  they  had  been  brought  to  place 
over  the  burials  in  this  grave.  At  the  bottom  of  the  grave  lay  the  skeleton  of 
an  adult  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  probably  a  male,  judging  from  the  size  of  the 
long-bones,  the  skull  being  badly  crushed. 

With  its  skull  resting  on  the  thorax  of  the  adult  skeleton  were  the  bones  of  a 
child  lying  partly  flexed  on  its  left  side,  its  pelvis  extending  somewhat  below 
that  of  the  other  skeletal  parts.  Beads  made  from  Olirclla  shells  were  at  the 
neck  and  waist  of  the  child's  skeleton.  The  left  tibia  of  the  adult  skeleton  lay 
in  its  proper  position  in  respect  to  its  femur,  with  the  exception  that  it  was  re 
versed.  Probably  in  conveying  the  skeleton  to  the  mound  the  tibia  had  become 
detached,  and  when  the  bone  was  replaced  by  the  aborigines  (which  they  did  not 
always  take  the  trouble  to  do)  it  had  been  reversed  as  described. 

MOUND  B. 

Mound  B,  the  middle  mound  of  the  three,  has  a  height  of  4.5  feet,  measured 
from  the  outside.  Its  diameters  are  60  feet  and  35  feet.  The  marginal  parts 
of  the  mound  had  been  plowed  away  to  some  extent  on  two  opposite  sides, 
which  accounts,  in  part  at  least,  for  the  unequal  diameters.  Otherwise,  the 
mound  showed  no  sign  of  former  cultivation.  Previous  diggers,  however,  had 
left  a  hole  near  the  center,  but  not  sufficient  in  extent  to  interfere  with  serious 
investigation. 

An  excavation  12  feet  square  was  sunk  by  us  centrally  in  the  mound  to  its 
base,  or  at  least  to  what  seemed  the  base  indistinctly  marked,  which  was  reached 
at  a  depth  of  6  feet.  The  mound  was  of  perfectly  dry  clay  and  work  in  it  was 
carried  on  with  the  aid  of  picks. 

Burial  No.  1  lay  at  a  depth  of  2  feet  2  inches  and  consisted  of  the  lower  ex 
tremities  of  an  adult,  flexed.  There  was  no  sign  of  previous  digging  near  these 
bones,  and  possibly  the  remainder  of  the  skeleton  had  decayed  away,  or,  what 
we  consider  more  likely,  the  burial  had  been  originally  a  part  of  a  skeleton  only, 
such  as  we  found  occasionally  in  mounds  farther  up  the  river. 

Burial  No.  2,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  N\V.,  depth  3  feet  10  inches. 
The  bones  were  badly  decayed.  About  one  foot  from  the  left  shoulder  were 
two  celts  of  indurated  shale,  7  inches  and  5.5  inches  long,  respectively.  With 
these  were  the  remains  of  a  columella  of  a  sea-shell.  Over  this  burial  was  a 
deposit  of  musselshells  mixed  with  the  clay  of  the  mound. 

Burial  No.  3,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  the  head  directed  ENE.,  depth  5  feel. 
Here  again  a  deposit  of  river  shells  lay  just  above  the  burial.  A  similar  deposit 


300  ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

in  another  part  of  the  excavation  was  not  visibly  associated  with  skeletal  re 
mains,  though  possibly  decay  might  account  for  their  absence.  No  other  shell 
deposits  were  found  in  the  excavation. 

Burial  No.  4,  a  pit  extending  about  1  foot  3  inches  below  the  base  of  the 
mound,  contained  fragments  and  traces  of  bones  which  indicated  that  the 
skeleton  had  been  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  pointing  SSW. 

MOUND  C. 

This  mound  was  45  feet  distant  from  Mound  B,  and,  like  it,  very  dry  and 
hard.  Its  height  was  6.5  feet,  outside  measurement;  the  diameters  were  58  feet 
by  36  feet.  Here,  too,  the  marginal  parts  had  been  plowed  away  on  two  opposite 
sides.  A  trench  about  4  feet  wide  had  been  carried  in  by  diggers  previous  to 
our  coming,  along  the  base  to  about  its  center. 

An  excavation  12  feet  square  sunk  by  us  through  the  middle  of  this  mound 
included  part  of  this  trench,  and  at  a  depth  of  7.5  feet  came  to  what  seemed  to 
be  undisturbed  ground  in  which  no  fragments  of  stone  or  other  indication  of 
the  presence  of  aboriginal  products  were  noted.  No  shell  deposit  was  encountered 
in  any  part  of  the  excavation.  After  reaching  the  base,  a  hole  about  2  feet  square 
was  carried  18  inches  deeper  without  passing  through  other  than  seemingly 
undisturbed  ground. 

With  exception  of  traces  of  a  skull  found  at  a  depth  of  5.5  feet,  no  signs  of 
human  remains  were  met  by  us  in  this  mound,  though  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
other  burials  formerly  present  in  the  excavated  part  had  deca}red  away. 

At  Carter  Farm,  which,  as  we  have  said,  is  opposite  Williams  Island,  were 
a  number  of  places  where  the  surface  soil  had  been  washed  and  furrowed  by 
rain  and  where  quantities  of  small  chips  of  flint  were  present.  No  arrowheads, 
however,  were  found,  though  it  would  be  at  a  place  such  as  this  that  the  minute 
points  reported  discovered  in  this  vicinity  might  be  expected. 

MOUND  AND  DWELLING-SITE  AT  WILLIAMS  ISLAND  FERRY,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

The  landing  place  of  a  ferry  from  the  mainland  to  Williams  Island  is  on 
property  belonging  to  Mr.  Walter  Hampton,  of  North  Chattanooga,  whose 
courtesy  to  the  Academy  we  have  had  occasion  to  note  in  connection  with 
Williams  Island. 

About  one  hundred  yards  easterly  from  the  eastern  end  of  Williams  Island 
Ferry,  in  a  cultivated  field,  is  a  mound  slightly  more  than  2  feet  in  height  and 
about  50  feet  in  diameter,  whose  shape  has  probably  been  altered  by  long  culti 
vation. 

Eight  trial-holes,  which  covered  fairly  what  had  been  the  original  mound, 
came  upon  a  skeleton  (Burial  No.  1)  lying  at  full  length  on  the  back  at  a  depth 
of  2  feet,  in  the  base  of  the  mound.  Near  the  left  shoulder  was  an  arrowhead  of 
flint. 

About  50  yards  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the  mound,  in  the  same  field, 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  OX  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  361 

was  ;i  low  elevation  having  considerable  debris  on  the  surface.  Five  skeletons 
were  uncovered  as  a  result  of  considerable  digging. 

Burial  No.  2,  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  the  upper  arms  parallel  to  the  body, 
having  the  forearms  closely  flexed  against  them,  had  two  slabs  of  limestone 
over  the  feet.  This  burial  was  8  inches  below  the  surface. 

Burial  No.  3,  adolescent,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  lay  in  a  grave  18  inches 
below  the  surface,  one  foot  of  the  grave  extending  into  undisturbed  yellow  clay 
which  afforded  a  marked  contrast  to  the  dark  soil  with  which  the  grave  was 
filled.  Beads  made  by  piercing  sea-shells  (Olivdla)  were  around  the  waist, 
along  both  forearms,  at  the  inner  side  of  the  right  upper  arm,  at  the  front  of 
the  upper  part  of  the  right  side  of  the  thorax,  and  at  the  back  of  the  right  shoulder- 
blade,  888  in  all.  At  the  right  elbow,  encircling  the  forearm,  were  nine  beads 
from  1.1  inch  to  1.0  inch  in  length,  made  from  columclla?  of  marine  shells. 

Burial  No.  4,  at  full  length  on  the  back,  depth  one  foot. 

Burials  Nos.  5  and  0,  children  lying  side  by  side,  one  foot  down. 

DwELLIN(i-SITK    AND    MoUNDS    OX    THE    HAMPTON"    PLACE,    HAMILTON    (BOUNTY. 

On  the  left-hand  side  of  the  river,  going  up,  in  sight  from  the  lower  part 
of  the  city  of  Chattanooga,  on  Moccasin  Bend,  famed  for  the  discovery  there  of 
aboriginal  remains,  is  one  of  the  numerous  properties  so  courteously  placed  by 
Mr.  Walter  Hampton,  of  North  Chattanooga,  Term.,  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Academy  for  investigation. 

Over  much  of  this  estate,  in  places,  lies  debris  left  by  aboriginal  occupancy, 
and  circumstantial  accounts  from  various  sources,  of  the  finding  of  many  relics 
on  the  place,  superficially  and  by  digging,  are  current. 

Wires  carving  power  to  the  city  of  Chattanooga  and  beyond  from  the  elec 
trical  plant  at  Halo's  liar  dam  cross  Tennessee  river  at  the  lower  end  of  this 
estate.  About  two  hundred  yards  ESE.  from  the  last  iron  structure  supporting 
the  wires  on  the  side  of  the  river  on  which  the  estate1  is,  we  noticed  ground 
slightly  higher  than  was  most  of  the  cultivated  land  surrounding  it,  and  were 
told  by  Mr.  Ilaney,  the  tenant  on  the  lower  part  of  the  Hampton  Place,  that 
human  bones  had  been  dug  from  this  place  in  the  past. 

Extensive  digging  by  us  in  this  higher  ground  strongly  indicated  that  burials 
in  it  had  been  confined  to  a  restricted  area  of  irregular  outline,  34  feet  long 
and  19  feet  and  2o  feet  wide  at  the  two  ends,  respectively. 

This  burial  place  was  completely  dug  through  by  us  and  proved  to  be  loamy 
sand  extending  down  about  4  feet  to  underlying  clay.  In  it  were  encountered 
thirty-one  burials  (excluding  several  disturbed  by  previous  digging),  all  in  graves 
or  in  grave-pits,  the  graves  being  such  as  we  had  been  accustomed  to  along  the 
river,  containing  flexed  burials  and  burials  at  length. 

The  grave-pits,  however,  were  circular,  about  2  feet  in  diameter,  and  were 
deeper  than  the  graves,  sometimes  extending  afoot  or  more  into  the  underlying 
:«>jori{\.  A.  \.  s.  rmi.A.,  VOL.  xvi. 


362  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

clay.     In  these  grave-pits  burials,  through  lack  of  space,  had  been  placed  more 
or  less  vertically,  as  will  be  described  in  due  course. 

Nearly  every  burial  in  this  cemetery,  but  not  all,  had  been  interred  in  con 
nection  with  the  use  of  ceremonial  fire,  the  graves  and  pits  having  been  first 
filled  and  then  above  there  had  been  placed  an  extensive  layer  of  clay,  greater 
in  extent  than  the  area  of  the  grave.  This  clay,  red  from  the  effect  of  fire, 
probably  had  been  placed  above  the  graves  while  hot.1  In  several  instances 
imprints  of  matting,  etc.,  were  found  on  these  masses  of  clay,  which  imprints 
probably  denote  that  a  wigwam  had  been  burnt  ceremonially. 

That  this  red  clay  did  not  come  from  fireplaces  made  directly  over  the  graves 
is  clearly  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  material  of  this  site  was  of  loamy  sand,  as 

stated,  and  could  not  have  burnt  into  lumps 
such  as  were  found,  through  the  effect  of  any 

.  Loarny  sand.  -  degree   of  heat.      Evidently   the   burnt   clay 

had  been  brought  and   deposited.     Further 
more,  no    ashes    or   charcoal   were  with   the 

'••; •  •;•,;'  ••';'.•-; '.••.-•;••''. "~:: -•''•••::  layers  of  clay,  nor  was  the  sand  below  them 

>,-';  Tilling  of  grave-;.:'  affected  by  heat  to  any  marked  extent.     Clay 

'.'-.'•  ''/.•'•  :.  v'/S V.'V  i'  ,;.:'•  for  wattle-and-daub  buildings,  which  presum- 

ably  had  been  burnt  ceremonially  at  the  time 
°^  these  burials,  could,  however,  easily  have 
^een  obtained  from    the  underlying  clay   or 
Underlying  W-M*vtfv^/    c'ay  from  rolling  ground  not  more  than  one  hun- 

dred  yards  distant. 
Scale  in  jeet  s  These  layers  of  reddened  clay,  however, 


were  not  on  the  present  surface  of  the  ground, 

FIG.    81. — A  typical  burial.    Hampton 

Place  Tenn.  but  at  some  depth  beneath  it.  .Presumably, 

after  the  burials  had  been  made  and  the  cere 
monial  rites  performed  at  this  place,  the  occupancy  of  the  site  continued  with 
a  consequent  increase  in  its  height. 

A  typical  example  of  the  grave-pits,  but  by  no  means  applying  exactly 
to  all  of  them,  as  they  varied  considerably  in  detail,  is  as  follows  (see  section, 
Fig.  81): 

Loamy  sand  on  top,  14  inches. 

Reddened  clay,  6  inches. 

Material  filling  that  part  of  the  grave-pit  in  the  made-ground,  30  inches. 

The  same  material  continuing  into  underlying  clay,  12  inches. 

Depth  from  surface,  5  feet  2  inches. 

Here  follow  details  of  the  burials: 

Burial  No.  1,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  46  inches  to  the  upper  surface  of  the 
bones.  A  flint  knife  or  arrowhead  lay  in  the  soil  nearby. 

1  See  our  account  of  the  Bennett  Place,  pages  338-352  of  this  report. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  363 

Burial  No.  2,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  depth  49  inches.  A  pot  of  coarse 
ware  with  rude  decoration  of  elementary  design  lay  near  the  skull. 

Burial  No.  3,  depth  4  feet,  lay  at  length,  face  down  as  far  as  the  knees,  the 
legs  being  closely  flexed  against  the  thighs,  the  forearms  and  arms  parallel  to 
the  body. 

Burial  No.  4,  a  skeleton  in  a  grave-pit  52  inches  deep,  closely  flexed,  the 
pelvis  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  the  body  bent  above  it  so  that  the  head  lay 
over  and  upon  the  pelvis.  The  thighs  were  in  an  almost  vertical  position,  the 
legs  flexed  against  them.  The  skull  of  this  skeleton  was  saved. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  there  being  a  depth  of  43 
inches  to  the  upper  surface  of  the  bones,  our  method  of  measuring  such  burials. 
The  right  arm  and  forearm  were  parallel  to  the  trunk;  the  left  humerus  was 
against  the  side  of  the  body,  the  forearm  flexed  on  it.  At  the  neck  were  three 
tubular,  brass  beads,  much  corroded,  and  a  disc  of  brass  (the  reader  will  note 
we  are  describing  a  post-C Columbia  site)  slightly  more  than  3  inches  in  diameter, 
having  a  central  opening  .8  inch  across. 

Burial  No.  0  lay  in  a  grave  40  inches  down,  the  trunk  on  the  back,  the  thighs 
vertical,  at  right  angles  to  the  body,  the  legs  flexed  against  them.  The  humeri 
were  parallel  to  the  trunk,  the  forearms  lying  across  it.  Near  the  chin  lay 
an  iron  celt  2.5  inches  in  length.  Alongside  the  skull  was  a  layer  of  powdered 
hematite,  about  8  inches  in  diameter  and  1  inch  in  maximum  thickness,  in  which 
lay  a  tubular  bead  of  brass.  On  the  upper  part  of  the,  thorax  was  a  boss  of  sheet- 
copper  about  4  inches  in  diameter,  having  a  small  central  perforation,  which 
evidently  had  been  suspended  by  many  strung  glass  beads  which,  including  two 
tubular  beads  of  brass,  each  about  1  inch  in.  length,  were  at  the  neck.  Glass 
beads  also  were  at  the  left  elbow.  An  arrowhead  or  knife  lay  near  the  right 
wrist,  and  two  deposits  of  arrowpoints  of  flint,  three  in  one  deposit,  two  in  the 
other,  were  near  the  pelvis.  None  of  these  points  was  less  than  an  inch  in 
length. 

Burial  No.  7,  a  child,  53  inches  down. 

Burial  No.  8,  a  partial  burial  consisting  of  a  skull  without  the  lower  jaw,  a 
femur  and  a  tibia,  together,  under  unbroken  layers. 

Burial  No.  9,  a  skeleton  which  Burial  No.  6  had  cut  through,  leaving  bones 
from  the  pelvis  up  only.  With  this  burial  was  a  deposit  of  powdered  hematite" 
11  inches  by  8  inches,  and  1  inch  in  maximum  thickness,  with  which  was  a  tubular 
bead  of  sheet-brass.  At  the  side  of  the  skull  were  two  discs  of  brass,  placed 
vertically  together,  while  two  others  of  the  same  material  lay  horizontally  be 
neath  the  chin.  Near  the  skull  was  a  tubular  bead  of  bone  1.7  inch  in  length, 
and  behind  the  skull  the  remains  of  a  large  marine  shell  (Cassis  tuberosa),  the 
interior  of  which  had  been  removed  to  form  a  cup. 

The  discs,  one  pair  about  4.25  inches  in  diameter,  the  other  pair  slightly 
larger,  all  had  central  openings  ranging  between  1  inch  and  1.5  inch  in  diameter, 
one  of  the  larger  discs  having  in  addition  four  small  perforations  in  a  row.  The 
skull  of  this  skeleton  was  saved. 


364  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  10,  an  aboriginal  disturbance  having  part  of  the  skull  and  of 
one  shoulder  cut  away  by  the  grave  of  Burial  No.  11.  This  burial  (No.  10) 
had  been  loosely  flexed  in  a  semireclining  position.  Near  the  head,  together, 
were  two  pipes,  one  of  claystonc  (Fig.  82),  the  other  of  limestone,  both  of  an 
interesting  and  unusual  form  seemingly  popular  at  this  place,  three  of  this 
kind  having  been  found  here.  The  shape,  very  novel,  may  be  a  highly  con 
ventionalized  bird-head  or  animal  form.  An  iron  knife  lay  on  the  thorax  and  a 
flint  arrow-point  was  near  the  left  thigh. 

At  some  little  distance  from  the  remains,  though  probably  placed  in  con 
nection  with  them,  was  a  grooved  hammer  of  flint. 


Fi(i.  82.— Pipe  of  claystono.    With  Burial  No.  FIG.  83.— Pipe  of  earthenware.   With  Burial  No. 

10.     Hampton  Place,  Teun.     (About  full  size.)          12.     Hampton  Place,  Tcnn.     (About  full  size.) 

Burial  No.  11,  at  the  bottom  of  a  grave-pit  slightly  less  than  5  feet  deep, 
was  a  skeleton  closely  flexed  in  a  vertical  position,  the  knees  in  front  of  the 
chin,  the  arms  along  the  trunk,  the  forearms  brought  forward  to  the  outer  side 
of  the  legs.  Near  the  right  elbow  was  a  deposit  of  red  hematite  in  powder, 
about  6  inches  in  diameter  and  2  inches  in  maximum  thickness,  approximately. 
Partly  around  each  humerus  was  an  armlet  of  sheet-brass  about  3.5  inches  in 
width.  These  armlets  had  not  entirely  enclosed  the  arms,  the  extremities  being 
about  1.5  inch  apart  and  having  each  two  holes  to  accommodate  a  cord  or  sinew. 
Around  each  wrist  were  bracelets  of  iron,  two  in  one  instance,  three  in  the  other. 
These  bracelets,  which  are  badly  corroded,  are  open  at  one  place,  like  the  armlets. 

Burial  No.  12  was  at  the  bottom  of  a  grave-pit,  closely  flexed  and  reclining 
against  the  side  of  the  pit.  Two  pipes,  one  of  earthenware  (Fig.  83)  and  a  small 
globular  one  of  limestone,  were  at  the  left  forearm;  a  small,  flint  arrowhead  lay 
in  front  of  the  pelvis.  A  deposit  of  red  pigment  was  along  the  left  side  of  the 
trunk. 

Burial  No.  13.  This  skeleton  was  reclining  against  the  side  of  the  pit,  the 
thighs  vertical,  the  legs  bent  against  them,  the  skull  bending  over  until  it  reached 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  365 

the  pelvis  behind  the  thighs.  The  right  humerus  was  almost  horizontally 
forward,  the  forearm  partly  flexed  toward  it;  the  left  humerus  downward  and 
forward,  the  forearm  flexed  across  the  trunk.  This  grave-pit  was  5  feet  8  inches 
in  depth. 

Burial  No.  14  was  reclining,  closely  flexed,  against  the  side  of  a  grave-pit 
4  feet  2  inches  in  depth,  the  head  bent  over  between  the  knees,  both  humcri 
along  the  trunk,  the  forearms  lying  across  the  pelvis. 

Burial  No.  15,  badly  disturbed  by  the  pit  dug  for  Burial  No.  12.  Near  the 
bones  lay  part  of  a  pipe  of  claystone,  which  probably  belonged  to  the  midden 
debris  around,  the  broken  surface  of  the  pipe  showing  age. 

Burial  No.  16,  reclining  against  the  side  of  the  grave,  the  trunk  tilted  to  one 
side,  the  thighs  upward  and  widely  separated,  the  legs  closely  flexed  on  them, 
the  skull  bent  over  against  the  right  leg  just  below  the  knee,  the  right  liumerus 
projecting  horizontally  forward,  the  forearm  partly  flexed,  the  left  humerus 
extending  out  from  the  side  of  the  trunk  horizontally,  the  forearm  partly  flexed 
on  it.  Depth  of  pit,  5  feet. 

Burial  No.  17,  the  trunk  reclining  against  the  side  of  the  pit  and  somewhat 
tilted  to  the  right,  the  right  femur  extending  upward  and  outward,  the  left  femur 
vertical,  the  legs  closely  flexed  against  the  thighs,  the  head  crushed  down  on  the 
pelvis,  the  right  humerus  downward  along  the  trunk,  the  forearm  across  the 
pelvis,  the  left  humerus  extending  laterally  at  a  right  angle  from  the  body,  the 
forearm  flexed  closely  on  it.  In  front  of  the  right  humerus,  in  a  little  heap,  were 
one  flint  arrowhead  and  seven  small  scrapers  of  like  material.  Below  these, 
between  the  skull  and  the  femur,  was  a  knife  of  iron  or  of  steel,  having  a  pro 
jection  from  the  blade,  which,  perhaps,  had  been  encased  in  wood  to  serve  as  a 
handle.  With  the  knife  were  two  pebbles  and  a  large  flake  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  18,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  3  feet  10  inches  down. 

Burial  No.  19  lay  at  length  on  the  back  as  far  as  the  knees,  the  legs  closely 
flexed  against  the  thighs,  4  feet  5  inches  down. 

Burial  No.  20,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  the  humeri  along  the  trunk,  the 
forearms  closely  flexed  on  them. 

Burial  No.  21,  the  trunk  leaning  against  the  side  of  the  pit,  which  was  5  feet 
8  inches  deep,  the  thighs  widely  apart,  the  legs  flexed  against  them,  the  skull 
crushed  down  between  the  thighs  and  resting  on  the  pelvis,  the  humeri  parallel 
to  the  trunk,  the  forearms  brought  forward  across  it. 

Burial  No.  22,  closely  flexed,  reclining  against  the  side  of  the  grave-pit,  the 
knees  drawn  up  nearly  to  the  head,  which  leaned  over  somewhat.  The  arms 
were  down  alongside  the  body,  the  forearms  across  it.  Depth  of  pit,  5  feet  6 
inches. 

Burial  No.  23,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  4  feet  down.  A  boss  of  sheet-brass, 
.6  inch  in  diameter,  having  a  small,  central  hole  for  attachment,  was  at  the  left 
ear,  none,  however,  being  present  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  head,  though  part 
of  one  was  found  on  the  pelvis  where  presumably  it  had  fallen.  Glass  beads 
were  at  the  left  forearm. 


366  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  24,  the  trunk  resting  sidewise  against  the  wall  of  the  pit,  which 
was  5  feet  2  inches  deep,  the  head  forced  down  on  the  pelvis  and  resting  between 
the  thighs,  which  were  flexed  obliquely  upward,  having  the  legs  closely  flexed 
against  them.  The  right  humerus  slanted  downward  and  outward,  the  fore 
arm  flexed  on  it  and  crossing  the  pelvis;  the  left  humerus  extended  obliquely 
down  alongside  the  skull,  the  forearm  partly  flexed  across  the  pelvis.  A  pipe  of 
limestone  (Fig.  84)  was  above  the  left  shoulder,  and  ten  arrowheads  of  flint,  the 


FIG.  84. — Pipe  of  limestone.     With  Burial  No.  24,  Hampton  Place,  Tenn.     (Full  size.) 

smallest  of  which  was  1.1  inch  in  length,  were  at  the  outer  side  of  the  left  humerus. 
The  skull  of  this  skeleton  was  saved. 

Burial  No.  25  had  been  cut  away  in  part  by  a  grave  for  another  burial.  Both 
humeri,  however,  were  present,  and  on  each  was  an  armlet  of  brass  of  the  kind 
already  described  as  having  been  found  at  this  place. 

Burial  No.  26,  reclining  on  the  side  of  the  pit,  which  was  4  feet  3  inches 
deep,  the  femora  about  vertical  but  somewhat  separated,  the  legs  flexed  on  them, 
the  head  bent  over  between  the  knees,  both  humeri  alongside  the  body,  the 
forearms  crossing  to  the  pelvis.  On  the  chest  was  a  disc  of  sheet-brass  5.25 
inches  in  diameter,  having  a  small  central  hole  for  attachment,  and  a  number 
of  glass  beads  which  probably  had  been  strung  on  the  cord  by  which  the  disc 
had  been  suspended. 

Burial  No.  27,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  trunk  face  down,  the  right  humerus 
slightly  forward  and  under  the  body,  the  forearm  in  line  with  the  humerus, 
the  left  upper  arm  somewhat  out  from  the  body,  the  forearm  flexed  back  under 
the  thorax. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  367 

This  burial  was  exceptional,  the  skeleton  lying  in  a  grave  4  feet  3  inches 
deep,  which  had  been  filled  in  to  a  depth  of  14  inches  with  the  ordinary  material 
from  the  site,  leaving  a  concave  surface.  Above  this  was  a  layer  of  charcoal, 
7  inches  deep,  which  followed  the  outline  of  the  sandy  loam.  Above  the  char 
coal  was  reddened  clay  in  small  masses,  having  a  maximum  thickness  of  15  inches, 
which,  in  its  turn,  was  covered  by  14  inches  of  sandy  loam. 

Burial  No.  28  lay  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  right  humerus  along  the 
trunk,  the  forearm  crossing  the  body  at  about  a  right  angle,  the  left  upper  arm 
along  the  thorax,  the  forearm  flexed  upward  and  across  the  thorax.  Three 
chips,  and  five  flint  arrowheads,  the  smallest  1.05  inch  in  length,  lay  at  the 
left  of  the  skull,  and  at  the  outer  side  of  the  left  elbow,  in  an  elongated  pile, 
were  47  fragments  nearly  all  of  flint,  a  few  probably  of  quartzite,  the  largest 


FIG.  85. — Pipe  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  Xo.  28.     Hampton  Place,  Tonn.     (About  full  size.) 

having  the  bulk,  but  not  the  outline,  of  a  hen's  egg;  three  pebbles;  three  leaf- 
shaped  implements  of  flint,  the  largest  3.75  inches  in  length;  a  small  flint  scraper. 
On  the  thorax  lay  an  interesting  pipe  of  earthenware  (Fig.  85)  having  perforated 
projections  on  two  opposite  sides  of  the  bowl,  a  very  rare  form,  and  two  discs, 
one  of  copper,  about  5  inches  in  diameter,  lying  immediately  above  the  other, 
which  is  of  brass  and  has  a  diameter  of  6.3  inches.  Both  these  discs  have  central, 
circular  openings,  the  smaller  slightly  more  than  2  inches  across,  the  larger  3.3 
inches  in  diameter. 

Burial  No.  29,  a  child  44  inches  down,  having  glass  beads  at  the  neck  and 
wearing  a  bracelet  of  sheet-brass  rolled  to  make  a  roughly-circular  cross-section 
and  having  the  extremities  drawn  around  to  bring  one  somewhat  above  the  other. 

Burial  No.  30,  the  trunk  lying  extended  on  the  right  side  at  the  bottom  of  a 
pit  5  feet  in  depth,  the  right  humerus  projecting  somewhat  from  the  side,  the 
forearm  partly  flexed  on  it,  the  left  upper  arm  along  the  trunk,  the  forearm  flexed 
against  its  upper  arm,  the  right  femur  diagonally  across  the  pelvis,  the  tibia 
closely  flexed  on  the  thigh,  the  left  femur  vertical,  its  tibia  partly  flexed  on  it. 


368  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  31,  the  trunk  against  the  side  of  the  pit,  bending  forward,  the 
thighs  together  and  vertical,  the  legs  closely  flexed  on  them,  the  skull  bent  over 
back  of  the  femora,  on  the  pelvis,  the  right  humerus  down  along  the  aside  of 
the  pit,  the  left  humerus  diagonally  forward  and  down,  both  forearms  across 
the  pelvis.  On  the  sternum  was  a  disc  of  sheet-brass  4.5  inches  in  diameter, 
having  a  circular  opening  in  the  center  somewhat  less  than  1  inch  across.  Above 
the  head  was  a  rusty  blade  of  iron  or  of  steel.  Burnt  clay  lay  just  above  this 
burial,  which,  however,  was  not  affected  by  heat.  The  grave-pit  was  5  feet  in 
depth. 

In  the  digging  were  found,  apart  from  burials,  a  number  of  arrowheads  and 
scrapers  of  flint;  a  celt  of  igneous  rock,  4.5  inches  in  length,  grooved  on  its  nar 
rower  sides  to  facilitate  fastening;  a  pebble  about  3.5  inches  long,  rudely  chipped 
to  form  a  spearhead;  and  a  jaw  probably  of  a  young  bison. 

The  entire  property  at  this  place  was  carefully  searched  with  a  view  to  the 
discovery  of  minute  arrowpoints  and  in  the  hope  of  finding  another  cemetery, 
in  both  of  which  efforts,  however,  we  were  unsuccessful,  though  considerable 
digging  was  done  in  various  places  which  evidently  had  been  aboriginal  dwelling- 
sites. 

From  the  surface  came:  A  considerable  number  of  arrowheads  and  knives  of 
flint,  some  of  the  arrowheads  being  slender  and  triangular  like  most  found  in 
this  region,  the  smallest  one  being  about  .75  inch  in  length;  small  scrapers  of 
flint;  rude  chisels  of  shale;  a  pebble  notched  on  two  opposite  sides,  evidently  a 
sinker,  found  near  the  river-bank;  a  stone  of  considerable  size,  deeply  pitted  in 
three  places  and  showing  other  somewhat  elementary  pits;  a  handsome  point  of 
flint,  3.5  inches  in  length;  a  small,  triangular  pendant  of  sheet-brass,  pierced  at 
one  end  for  suspension. 

Mr.  Earle  Haney,  son  of  the  tenant  on  the  lower  part  of  the  Hampton  Place, 
a  pupil  at  the  high  school  in  Chattanooga  and  much  interested  in  Indian  anti 
quities,  informed  us  he  had  resided  on  the  place  eight  years  and  had  found  on  it 
quantities  of  arrowpoints,  none  of  which,  however,  was  less  than  one-half  inch 
in  length,  and  points  of  this  size  were  very  exceptional. 

Following  along  the  bank,  upstream,  on  this  property  for  about  one  mile, 
one  comes  in  sight  of  a  mound  (Mound  A)  near  a  building  used  for  the  storage 
of  hay.  This  mound,  6.5  feet  high,  measured  from  the  outside,  and  42  feet  in 
diameter  of  its  irregularly  circular  base,  evidently  had  been  much  dug  into 
previously  in  the  upper  part. 

A  central  excavation  12  feet  square  was  put  down  by  us,  soon  reaching  bones 
scattered  by  former  diggers,  and  in  another  place,  four  slabs  of  stone  near  which 
no  bones  were  found.  At  a  depth  of  4.5  feet  the  upper  part  of  a  skeleton  was 
reached,  the  remainder  having  been  cut  away  by  digging,  aboriginal  or  recent. 
A  dark  base-line  was  reached  6  feet  7  inches  down,  which  had  been  cut  through 
by  a  grave  45  inches  long  by  2  feet  wide,  extending  10  inches  into  the  undisturbed, 
underlying  soil.  In  this  grave  no  trace  of  bone  remained,  though  a  small  quartz 
crystal,  which  doubtless  had  been  with  a  burial,  was  found. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  369 

In  sight  from  Mound  A,  did  not  the  building"  intervene,  was  a  low  mound,  or 
the  remainder  of  a  mound,  which  had  been  under  cultivation.  Its  height  at 
the  time  of  our  visit  was  18  inches;  its  diameter,  50  feet.  A  central  excavation 
12  feet  square  was  put  down  by  us,  about  in  the  middle  of  which  was  a  skeleton, 
closely  flexed  on  the  left,  which  evidently  had  been  placed  on  the  original  surface 
of  the  ground  and  earth  piled  over  it.  At  the  lower  part  of  the  pelvis,  not  in  a 
pile  but  scattered  along  near  one  another,  were  twenty-three  triangular  arrow 
heads  of  flint,  having  concave  bases,  some  slightly  broken,  the  smallest  of  which 
was  .75  inch  in  length. 

This  mound  was  on  a  slope,  consequently  the  outer  part  of  it  on  one  side 
was  of  greater  depth  than  were  the  central  parts,  and  that  portion  which  was 
higher  on  the  slope.  A  burial  found  considerably  away  from  the  center  and  in 
that  part  of  the  mound  which  descended  the  slope,  was  at  a  depth  of  3.5  feet. 
The  mound  at  this  point  was  27  inches  to  the  base,  and  the  grave  in  which  this 
burial  lay  extended  16  inches  into  underlying  soil,  the  grave  being  4  feet  wide 
by  6  feet  2  inches  in  length.  The  skeleton  lay  at  full  length  on  the  back,  without 
artifact  of  any  kind. 

About  250  yards  W.  by  N.  from  Mound  A  was  another  which  probably  had 
been  about  3  feet  in  height,  but  which  was  so  thoroughly  gutted  that  marginal 
parts  only  surrounded  an  excavation. 

Approximately  180  yards  NNW.  from  Mound  A  was  one  3.5  feet  in  height 
and  45  feet  in  diameter,  rilled  with  comparatively  recent  burials  in  coffins. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  315  yards  NE.  from  Mound  A,  on  the  summit  of  a 
low  hill  overlooking  the  river,  was  a  mound  5.5  feet  in  height  and  35  feet  in 
diameter  of  its  circular  base.  This  mound,  which  culminated  almost  in  a  peak, 
had  trees  upon  it  and  evidently  never  had  been  under  cultivation.  An  excava 
tion  12  feet  square  reached  a  distinct,  dark,  basal  line  resting  on  clay  and  gravel 
at  a  depth  of  6  feet  3  inches  from  the  summit  of  the  mound.  No  sign  of  bone, 
sherd,  or  chipped  stone  was  encountered  in  this  mound,  and  no  grave  had  cut 
through  the  base. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  CHATTANOOGA  ISLAND,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

Opposite  the  city  of  Chattanooga  is  a  small  island,  the  property  of  Mr. 
Joseph  Willis  of  Chattanooga,  which  has  some  history  of  burials  and  artifacts 
discovered  there  in  the  past.  A  careful  examination  of  the  island  showed  it 
to  have  been  an  aboriginal  dwelling-site,  but  its  proximity  to  a  large  city  pre 
sumably  had  been  the  cause  that  but  few"  objects  of  interest  were  visible  on  the 
surface.  No  fragments  of  human  bones  were  to  be  seen,  nor  was  there  any  rise 
of  the  ground  or  marked  darkening  of  the  soil  to  indicate  the  presence  of 
burials. 

A  number  of  trial-holes  were  put  down  in  different  parts  of  the  island,  one 
of  which  came  upon  a  skeleton  lying  closely  flexed  to  the  right,  the  right  forearm 
flexed  back  against  the  humerus,  the  left  forearm  diagonally  up  across  the  thorax. 

37  JOUHN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


370  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

The  head  was  directed  E.  by  N.  This  burial,  which  was  without  artifacts,  lay 
at  a  depth  of  28  inches. 

On  the  surface  were  picked  up  by  our  party  twelve  arrowheads  or  knives,  of 
flint,  all  with  shoulders  or  rudimentary  shoulders,  or  with  single  shoulders  (some 
having  been  made  in  this  way).  These  twelve  flints  ranged  in  size  between 
somewhat  more  than  1  inch  and  about  2  inches.  The  flint  was  variously  black, 
pink,  white,  and  shades  of  brown  and  gray. 

At  the  Citico  site,  which  next  will  be  described,  and  which  is  visible  from 
Chattanooga,  quantities  of  arrowheads  were  found,  almost  all  of  which  are 
triangular,  and  all,  save  very  few,  are  of  black  flint.  These  facts  illustrate  how 
difficult  it  would  be  to  generalize  as  to  this  region. 

CiTico1  MOUND  AND  SITE,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

A  short  distance  above  the  city  of  Chattanooga,  in  view  from  its  water 
works  and  from  Tennessee  river,  is  a  mound  in  a  large,  cultivated  field,  belonging, 
at  the  time  of  our  first  visit,  to  Mr.  George  W.  Gardenhire,  of  Chattanooga, 
and  when  the  place  was  again  visited  by  us,  to  the  Montague  estate,  represented 
by  Mr.  N.  Thayer  Montague,  of  Chattanooga.  The  mound,  which  takes  its 
name  from  nearby  Citico  creek,  15.5  feet  in  height,  has  been  quadrangular  with 
a  flat  top,  but  as  every  part  of  its  surface  has  been  under  cultivation,  the  corners 
of  the  mound  are  now  rounded,  though  the  sides  are  astonishingly  steep  consider 
ing  the  plowing  and  subsequent  wash  of  rain  to  which  they  must  have  been  sub 
jected.  In  basal  diameter  the  mound  is  110  feet  by  145  feet;  the  summit- 
plateau  in  corresponding  directions,  71  feet  by  42  feet. 

The  investigation  of  the  mound  described  by  Mr.  M.  C.  Read  in  the  Smith 
sonian  Report  for  1867,  tells  of  a  tunnel  carried  into  the  mound,  of  skeletons 
found  below  the  base,  and  of  the  discovery  of  post-holes,  etc. 

Probably  a  structure  of  some  kind  had  existed  and  burials  had  been  made 
beneath  it,  or  it  had  been  erected  over  burials  and  the  mound  had  been  built 
around  and  above  the  structure. 

The  mound,  however,  was  domiciliary  and  not  a  burial  mound,  as  an  excava 
tion  12  feet  square  sunk  by  us  to  a  depth  of  12  feet  from  the  center  of  the  summit- 
plateau  encountered  no  interments  or  signs  of  interments.  Evidence  of  former 

1  The  Citico  mound  described  here,  and  the  creek  of  that  name  which  is  referred  to,  as  we  have 
stated  before,  must  not  be  confused  with  others  of  like  name  described  in  the  12th  Annual  Report  of 
the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  pp.  373  and  375.  The  Citico  creek  there  mentioned,  near  which 
a  Citico  mound  is,  flows  into  Little  Tennessee  river  and  the  mound  is  near  the  junction  in  Monroe 
County,  Tenn.  Little  Tennessee  river  enters  the  Tennessee  opposite  Lenoir  City.  The  Citico  mound 
in  Monroe  County  is  referred  to  by  Cyrus  Thomas  in  his  "Catalogue  of  Prehistoric  Works,"  p.  210. 
For  the  name  Citico  (Si'tiku')  see  Mooney  in  19th  An.  Rep.  Bur.  Am.  Ethn.,  p.  531.  The  Citico 
mound  near  Chattanooga,  in  Hamilton  County,  examined  by  us,  is  described  in  the  Smithsonian 
Report  for  1867,  p.  401  el  seq.,  and  is  referred  to  by  Cyrus  Thomas  in  oth  An.  Rep.  Bur.  Am.  Ethn., 
p.  77  et  seq. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  371 

digging  was  found  in  places,  but  no  trace  of  skeletal  remains  was  present  in  the 
material.1 

Extending  ENE.  and  WSW.  from  the  mound,  which  is  near  the  western  end, 
is  a  ridge  with  flat  top,  about  250  feet  in  width  and  600  feet  in  length,  and  having 
a  height,  judging  from  holes  put  down  from  the  surface  to  undisturbed  clay,  of 
about  4  feet.  On  the  eastern  end  of  this  ridge  is  an  elevation  of  about  3.5  feet. 
The  ridge  is  artificial,  or  mostly  so,  and  has  grown  up  under  prolonged  occupancy. 

Over  the  surface  of  the  ridge,  the  elevation,  and  part  of  the  mound  is  abundant 
midden-debris,  including  shells,  considerable  pottery,  and  fragments  of  flint. 
The  pottery,  shell-tempered,  is  as  a  rule  coarse  and  undecorated,  some  of  the 
fragments,  however,  bearing  very  elementary,  incised  designs  rudely  executed. 
One  sherd,  however,  of  hard,  smooth  ware  and  having  but  little  shell-tempering, 
if  any,  had  an  incised  decoration  of  partly  interlocked  scrolls,  fairly  well  executed. 
Another  bore  a  design  conferred  by  the  aid  of  a  stamp,  and  a  fragment  of  yellow 
ware  was  found  bearing  part  of  a  design  in  red  paint. 

Finished  artifacts  on  the  surface  were  rare,  the  site  evidently  having  been 
carefully  searched  by  visitors  from  town,  where  there  is  a  ready  market  for 
antiquities,  and  we  learned  that  a  former  resident  of  Chattanooga  had  syste 
matically  dug  into  the  ridge  for  a  considerable  period  in  search  of  artifacts  to  sell. 
The  elevation  at  the  end  of  the  ridge,  however,  strangely  enough,  had  remained 
uninvestigated.  Our  surface  "finds"  consisted  of  one  rude  celt;  a  number  of 
arrowheads  of  flint,  nearly  all  triangular,  some  slender,  some  almost  equilateral, 
and  nearly  all  less  carefully  made  than  the  projectile  points  taken  later  from  the 
graves  by  us;  a  part  of  a  small  pipe  of  earthenware,  having  much  of  the  bowl 
missing  and  the  marginal  surfaces  carefully  smoothed  to  allow  the  part  of  the 
pipe  remaining  to  serve  some  purpose;  a  small,  undecorated  pipe  of  soapstone. 

On  various  parts  of  the  ridge  and  of  the  elevation  at  its  eastern  end  were 
fragments  of  human  bones. 

Trial-holes  in  the  elevation  which  soon  reached  burials,  showed  it  to  be  some 
what  unlike  the  ridge,  the  elevation  being  composed  in  part  of  midden  debris, 
but  having  also  local  layers  of  clay  of  varying  shades  to  within  one  foot  of  its 
surface,  above  which  was  midden  deposit.  Presumably  the  elevation  had  been 
built  on  the  ridge  and  then  lived  upon. 

The  ridge  was  carefully  dug  over  by  us,  and  burials  were  found  to  be  widely 
scattered  in  it  and  to  have  almost  no  artifacts  with  them.  Presumably,  more 
important  persons  had  been  interred  in  the  elevation,  which  was  constructed 
for  burial  purposes  exclusively. 

In  all,  one  hundred  and  six  burials  were  discovered,  and  numerous  fragments 
and  scattered  bones.  Such  burials  from  the  elevation  as  were  comparatively 

1  Since  our  visit,  two-thirds  of  Citico  mound  has  been  dug  away  in  making  the  new  River  Road. 
We  are  informed  by  a  friend  in  Chattanooga,  who  was  greatly  interested  in  the  work,  himself  a 
collector,  and  explorer  of  mounds,  that  nothing  of  interest  was  found  during  tho  removal.  Burials 
and  some  artifacts  were  encountered  near  the  base. 

The  newspapers,  of  course,  made  the  most  of  the  matter. 


372  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

deep  had  been  deposited  in  graves  which  could  be  traced  almost  from  the  surface 
down,  and  no  doubt  had  been  made  from  the  surface,  but  the  confusion  arising 
from  cultivation  of  the  field  made  impossible  a  determination  as  to  the  upper 
few  inches  of  the  soil. 

The  burials,  whose  heads  were  directed  to  various  points  of  the  compass, 
were:  of  adults,  70;  of  adolescents,  4;  of  children  and  of  infants,  32. 

The  forms  of  burial  were  as  follows: 

Extended  on  the  back,  2. 

Closely  flexed  to  the  left,  1. 

Partly  flexed  to  the  right,  17. 

Partly  flexed  to  the  left,  17. 

Partly  flexed  on  the  right,  15. 

Partly  flexed  on  the  left,  6. 

Bunched,  1. 

Positions  to  be  described  in  detail,  8. 

There  were  also  seven  disturbances,  recent  and  aboriginal. 

The  reader  will  recall  that,  when  not  otherwise  stated,  burials  are  those  of 
adults,  and  that  the  form  of  burial  of  infants  and  children  is  not  included. 

We  shall  now  describe  in  detail  all  burials  from  this  place  with  which  any 
artifact  was  found,  as  well  as  such  burials  which  otherwise  may  seem  worthy  of 
special  notice. 

Burial  No.  2,  but  a  few  inches  from  the  surface,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the 
cranium  pointing  S.  by  E.  At  each  side  of  the  head  was  a  shell  ear-plug  made 
from  a  conch-shell,  and  resembling  a  bracket  in  shape.1  At  the  neck  were  shell 
beads  rather  badly  decayed. 

Burial  No.  3,  one  foot  down,  extended  on  the  back  and  having  the  right  fore 
arm  flexed  back  on  the  humerus,  the  hand  resting  on  the  shoulder,  the  head  SE. 
At  the  outer  side  of  the  left  forearm  was  a  small,  undccorated  pot  of  inferior 
earthenware. 

Burial  No.  4,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  the  head  S.  by  E.,  lay  in  a  pit  2  feet 
deep,  25  inches  wide  by  4  feet  in  length.  Under  the  body,  so  that  both  elbows 
rested  upon  it,  where  probably  it  had  slipped,  was  a  mask-like  gorget  of  shell, 
showing  human  features.  This  ornament,  which  belongs  to  a  well-known 
class,2  is  greatly  decayed  and  somewhat  broken  in  one  place. 

Burial  No.  5,  a  child,  9  inches  deep,  the  skull  SE.  At  each  side  of  the  cranium 
were  small,  shell  ear-plugs  of  the  "bracket"  shape. 

Burial  No.  6,  presumably  a  bunched  burial,  having  three  skulls  together, 
the  long-bones  being  somewhat  loosely  placed. 

1  William  II.  Holmes,  "Art  in  Shell  of  the  Ancient  Americans,"  2d  An.  Hep.  Bur.  Am.  Kthn., 
p.  210,  Fig.  10.     (lutes  P.  Thruston,  "Antiquities  of  Tennessee,"  2d  eel.,  1S97,  p.  315,  Fig.  223. 

2  William  II.  Holmes,  op.  cit.,  p.  293  et  seq.     George  Grant  MacCurdy  in  "American  Anthro 
pologist,"  July-Sept.,  1913,  p.  395  et  seq.     C.  B.  Moore,  "Antiquities  of  the  St.  Francis,  White  and 
Black  Rivers,"  pp.  287,  321,  Figs.  16,  45;  and  "Some  Aboriginal  Sites  on  Mississippi  River,"  pp. 
412,  415,  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  Vol.  XIV. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  373 

Burial  No.  7,  the  scattered  bones  of  a  disturbance,  presumably  including  two 
skulls,  at  a  general  depth  of  16  inches.  Somewhat  apart  from  the  bones,  though 
no  doubt  originally  with  them,  was  an  implement  of  gray  flint,  somewhat  more 
than  0  inches  in  length  (Fig.  86).  One  of  similar  shape,  but  smaller,  was  found 


FIG.  86.— Blade  of  flint.     With  Burial  No.  7.     Oitico,  Tcnn.     (Full  size.) 

by  us  in  the  aboriginal  cemetery  on  the  Bradley  Place,1  Crittenden  County,  Ark. 
We  have  not  been  able  to  find  other  illustrations  of  ''mplements  exactly  like  this 
one  in  publications  relating  to  aboriginal  work  in  stone.  Dr.  H.  M.  Whelpley 
of  St.  Louis,  however,  whose  collection  is  so  well  known,  tells  us  the  specimen  is 
not  uncommon  and  that  in  his  collection  are  a  number  similar  in  type. 

Also  out  of  place  among  the  bones  was  an  ear-plug  of  the  pin-shape  variety, 
made  from  the  columella  of  a  conch-shell  and  having  a  considerable  knob  at  the 
head;  and  a  small  arrowpoint  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  8,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  ESE.,  in  a  grave  2  feet  in 
depth.  Under  the  skull  was  some  red  pigment,  red  oxide  of  iron. 

Burial  No.  9,  about  one  foot  deep,  had  that  part  of  the  skeleton  which  is 
below  the  pelvis  cut  away  by  another  grave.  The  head  was  directed  SE.  On 
the  lower  part  of  the  thorax  was  a  handsome  celt  of  argillaceous,  sedimentary 
rock  somewhat  exceeding  8  inches  in  length  and  plamly  showing  where  the 
handle  had  been  attached.  Immediately  on  this  implement  lay  a  celt  of  iron 
or  of  steel,  about  4  inches  in  length. 

Several  celts  of  this  kind  were  found  with  burials  at  the  Citico  site,  yet 
absolutely  no  other  objects  indicating  contact  with  white  people  were  present 
except  four  glass  beads  found  with  a  comparatively  superficial  burial.  One 
would  expect  in  a  site  where  the  aborigines  had  been  able  to  obtain  iron  from  the 
whites  that  many  other  articles  of  European  origin  would  be  present.  We 
were  so  impressed  by  this  anomalous  character  of  the  deposits  at  this  place 
thai  though  we  realized  the  chances  of  having  found  celts  of  meteoric  iron 
(which,  as  the  reader  knows,  could  have  been  made  by  the  aborigines  without 
contact  with  whites)  were  small,  we  decided  to  have  the  matter  definitely  deter- 

1  "Some  Aboriginal  Sites  on  Mississippi  River,"  Fig.  44. 


374  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

mined  by  submitting  one  of  the  celts  to  Harry  F.  Keller,  Ph.D.  (whose  tests, 
especially  in  the  case  of  copper,  have  aided  us  to  such  an  extent  in  the  past), 
with  the  request  that  an  examination  of  the  celt  be  made  with  a  view  of  deter 
mining  the  possible  presence  of  diamonds  and  nickel.  Dr.  Keller  reports  as 
follows : 

"The  iron  blade  shows  no  distinct  crystalline  structure  when  etched  with 
dilute  nitric  acid  or  with  iodine,  and  careful  chemical  tests  show  that  the  metal 
is  free  from  foreign  metals  such  as  nickel,  cobalt,  and  copper.  A  solution  ob 
tained  from  several  grams  of  the  metal,  after  precipitating  the  iron,  did  not 
respond  to  that  most  delicate  of  reactions  for  nickel:  the  dimethylglyoxime  test. 
There  can  be  no  doubt,  therefore,  that  this  iron  is  not  of  meteoric  origin." 

Here,  then,  we  find  the  aborigines  possessed  of  a  number  of  blades  of  iron 
manufactured  by  the  whites,  and  yet  apparently  having  almost  no  other  objects 
of  European  provenance. 

Burial  No.  10,  in  a  grave  35  inches  deep,  was  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the 
right,  the  head  SE.  At  each  side  of  the  skull  was  an  ear-plug  of  the  pin-shape 
variety,  about  6  inches  in  length.  At  the  right  of  the  cranium  were  the  remains 
of  a  rattle  consisting  of  the  shell  of  a  turtle  or  a  tortoise,  enclosing  pebbles,  and 
one  valve  of  a  large  cockle  (Cardium  robustum),  a  marine  shell.  At  the  outer 
side  of  the  left  shoulder,  grouped  together,  were:  fragments  of  the  shell  of  a 
turtle  or  a  tortoise,  with  a  number  of  small  pebbles,  mingled  with  which  were 
some  of  the  throat  teeth  of  the  fresh-water  drum-fish  (Aplodinotus  grunniens),1 
which  no  doubt  made  an  excellent  substitute  for  pebbles;  the  penis-bone  of  some 
animal;2  a  bone  piercing  implement;  nine  musselshells  (Lampsilis  anodontoides) . 
On  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax  was  a  gorget  of  shell  with  scalloped  margin, 
much  resembling  one  shown  by  Thruston3  and  by  Holmes,4  which  has  incised 
centrally  a  triskele.  With  the  gorget  was  a  shell  bead  .75  inch  in  length.  In 
the  space  between  the  femora  (which  the  reader  may  recall  were  drawn  up) 
and  the  trunk  was  a  bowl  of  earthenware,  6.5  inches  in  diameter,  undecorated 
save  for  six  small  lugs  projecting  from  the  margin  of  the  opening. 

Burial  No.  11.  This  skeleton,  22  inches  down,  heading  SSE.,  lay  on  the 
back,  the  right  thigh  extended  in  line  with  the  trunk,  the  left  thigh  slightly 
bent  toward  the  right  one.  Both  legs  were  flexed  to  an  acute  angle  with  the 
thighs;  the  left  forearm  was  flexed  closely  on  the  humerus. 

Burial  No.  12.  In  a  grave  3  feet  deep  lay  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the 
right,  the  head  NW.  At  each  side  of  the  cranium  was  an  ear-plug  of  the  pin- 
shape  variety;  small  shell  beads  were  at  the  neck  and  at  the  right  wrist.  At 
the  right  hand  was  an  earthenware  pipe  badly  crushed,  which  has  since  been 
restored  (Fig.  87). 

1  This  variety  of  drum-fish  frequents  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries. 

2  This  bone  went  astray  when  submitted  for  identification. 

3  Op.  cit.,  Fig.  230. 

4  "Art  in  Shell  of  the  Ancient  Americans,"  PI.  LVI. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  375 

This  interesting  pipe  is  of  a  form  characteristic  of  the  Citico  site.  MKluire1 
shows  a  pipe  somewhat  like  ours  as  coming  from  Caniden  County,  (Ja.,  mentions 
another  from  Blount  County,  Tenn  and  says 
they  apparently  establish  quite  an  interesting 
conventional  treatment  of  the  beak  of  a  bird. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  left  femur  were 
three  discoidals  of  fine-grained,  igneous  rock, 
each  about  1 .5  inch  in  diameter.  Six  slender 
arrowpoints  of  flint  lay  near  the  knees. 

Burial  No.  13  had  been  somewhat  disturbed 
by  the  plow,  but  there  were  clear  indications 
that  the  bones  had  been  partly  flexed  to  the 
right,  the  head  NNW.  Near  the  skull  was  a 
celt  5.5  inches  in  length,  which  was  presented 
to  Mr.  (iardenhire,  the  owner  of  the  property. 

Burial  No.  14,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the 

i        i   cidT-i      i      i         ii         •   i  -L     i       11  1'1(1-     s~- — Pipe      °f     earthenware, 

head  bbE.,  had  at  the  right  shoulder  a  small,  NVi(h  Hui.iul   No    12      (,iti(.o   T(,,m 

undecorated   pot,   a   part    of   which  had  been  (About  full  size.) 
plowed  away. 

Burial  No.  15  consisted  of  remains  of  a  skeleton  somewhat  disturbed  but  with 
parts  in  order.  At  the  knees  and  neatly  piled  were  twenty  small  arrowheads 
of  flint,  all  triangular  and  all  pointing  the  same  way. 

Burial  No.  16,  a  child,  the  bones  somewhat  disturbed  by  an  intersecting 
grave.  With  this  burial  were  two  discoidals  of  igneous  rock,  each  about  1.25 
inch  in  diameter. 

Burial  No.  17,  about  2  feet  deep,  lay  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  head  ESE. 
Under  the  lumbar  region  was  a  small  flint  arrowhead. 

Burial  No.  18,  32  inches  deep,  lay  partly  flexed  1o  the  right,  the  head  SE. 
The  left  forearm  was  across  the  trunk.  Under  the  skull  and  extending  under 
the  left  shoulder  and  down  the  outer  side  of  the  humcrus  were  fifty-nine  mussel- 
shells,  badly  decayed  and  broken.  Some  of  these  shells  were  perforated  at  one 
end  for  suspension,  as  doubtless  all  had  been,  but  parts  of  some  which  would 
have  testified  as  to  the  fact,  were  missing.  On  the  thorax  were  eleven  similar 
shells;  there  were  five  on  the  lower  part  of  the  trunk,  and  nineteen  on  the  outer 
side  of  the  right  forearm. 

Burial  No.  19  was  a  disturbance.  At  the  left  of  the  skull  lay  an  undecorated 
bowl  badly  crushed. 

Burial  No.  21,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  head  E.  by  S.;  depth,  3  feet.  Near 
the  skull  were  two  pebble-hammers. 

Burial  No.  22,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  head  NW. ;  depth,  2  feet.  At  the  neck 
were  a  number  of  marine  shells  (Marginella  apicina)  perforated  for  use  as  beads. 

'Joseph  D.  McGuire,  "Pipes  and  Smoking  Customs  of  the  American  Aborigines,"  Rep.  U.  S. 
Nat.  Mus.,  1897,  Fig.  234. 


376  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  23,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  head  NW. ;  depth  14  inches.  On  the 
thorax  lay  a  gorget  of  shell,  the  surface  much  decayed  away  in  places,  which 
had  borne  a  conventionalized  design  of  the  rattlesnake.  Gorgets  better  pre 
served  than  this  one  and  likewise  having  the  design  of  the  rattlesnake,  will  be 
shown  in  connection  with  Burials  Nos.  41  and  56. 

Lying  immediately  on  the  gorget  was  a  ceremonial  axe  of  porphyry,  5  inches 
in  length,  of  the  "hoe-shaped "  variety.1  These  axes,  which  have  been  extensively 
figured  by  others  as  well  as  by  ourselves,  often  show  where  the  handle  has  been 
placed  on  them.  "We  found,  moreover,  at  Moundville,  Ala.,2  a  shell  ornament 
showing  one  of  these  axes  set  in  its  handle. 

The  ceremonial  axe,  including  the  South  American  type,  has  been  inter 
estingly  discussed  in  the  superb  work  of  Vcrneau  and  Rivet." 

Near  these,  but  some  little  distance  from  the  skeleton,  were  two  undecorated 
shell  gorgets  which  had  perhaps  belonged  to  a  much-disturbed  burial,  parts  of 
which  were  nearby.  To  the  left  of  the  pelvis,  grouped  together,  were  a  small 
chisel  of  iron  or  of  steel  (see  our  description  of  Burial  No.  9) ;  a  flat  pebble  of 
flint,  3  inches  by  2  inches,  much  chipped  at  one  end  as  by  use;  six  small  arrow 
heads,  three  leaf-shaped  implements  and  two  triangular,  all  of  flint,  ranging 
between  2.3  inches  and  3.5  inches  in  length;  also  many  flint  fragments  and 
chips. 

Burial  No.  24,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  head  NW.,  rested  on  Burial  No.  23. 
On  the  lower  part  of  the  thorax  was  a  celt  which  was  given  to  Mr.  Gardenhire. 

Burial  No.  26,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  head  SSE.,  both  forearms  closely 
flexed  against  the  upper  arms;  depth,  2  feet  7  inches.  Immediately  on  this 
burial  were  two  slabs  of  cedar,  each  nearly  4  feet  long  and  about  5  inches  in 
width,  which  had  been  rudely  split,  not  dressed  like  planks.  On  the  left  shoulder 
and  extending  down  over  the  body  were  fragments  of  bones  of  lower  animals. 
These  fragments  did  not  show  decay  and  evidently  had  been  broken  intentionally. 
The  following  animals  were  represented,  according  to  the  identification  of  Dr. 
F.  A.  Lucas:  raccoon,  part  of  jaw;  black  bear,  a  large  animal,  parts  of  humerus 
and  femur;  Virginia  deer,  parts  of  vertebra?,  foot-bones,  shoulder-blade,  etc.; 
wild  turkey,  upper  part  of  tarsus;  loon  (Urinator  imber}  femur;  soft-shelled  turtle 
(Aspidonectes  spinifer}  cranium  and  shoulder-blade;  Mississippi  catfish  (Amiurus 
lacustris)  a  big  fellow,  75  to  100  pounds  in  weight,  back  of  cranium. 

On  each  side  of  the  head  was  a  shell  ear-plug  of  the  pin-shape  variety,  one  of 
which  had  been  moved  slightly  from  the  skull  through  some  cause  or  another. 
Two  similar  ornaments  lay  side  by  side  on  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax,  the 

1  C.  B.  Moore,  "The  so-called  'Hoc-shaped'  Implement,"  American  Anthropologist,  July-Sept., 
1903. 

2  "Moundville  Revisited,"  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  Vol.  XIII,  Fig.  99. 

3  R.    Vcrneau  et    P.    Rivet.     Ministcre  de   1'Instruction  Publiquc.     Mission  du  Service  Geog- 
raphique  de  I'Arme'e  pour  la  Mesurc  d'un  Arc  de  Meridieii  Equatorial  en  Amerique  du  Sud,  le  sous 
Controle  scientifique  de  1' Academic  des  Sciences,   lS99-190(i.     Tome  G,   "Ethnographic   Anciennc 
de  PEquateur."     Premier  fascicule.     Paris,  1912. 


ABORIGINAL    SITES   OX    TEXXESSEE    HIYKR. 


377 


points  toward  the  skull.  The-  putting  of  an  extra  pair  of  ear-plugs  with  a  burial 
by  the  aborigines  is  not  new  in  our  experience.  Between  the  arms  was  a  celt  of 
quartzite,  3.3  inches  in  length,  and  a  smaller  one  of  fine-grained  igneous  rock 
rested  between  the  elbows  and  pelvis.  Xine  arrowheads  of  flint,  whose  position 
was  disturbed  on  removal,  had  been  on  the  right  knee. 

Burial  Xo.  27,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head  SE.,  the  right  forearm 
across  the  trunk;  depth,  17  inches.  On  the  lower  part  of  the  thorax  was  a 
marine  univalve,  dropping  to  fragments  through  decay.  At  the  outer  side  of 
the  left  shoulder  were  two  bone  implements.  Each  of  these  had  the  end  formerly 
in  use  greatly  rounded  either  intentionally  or  through  service.  One,  8.5  inches 
in  length,  made  from  a  femur  of  a  deer,  has  the  articular  portion  removed:  and 


FIG.  88. — Pipe  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  Xo. 
33.     C.'itico,  Tenn.     (About  full  .size.) 


FIG.  89.— Pipe  of  daystone.  With 
Burial  No.  3a.  Citifo,  Tenn.  (About 
full  size.) 


below,  on  one  side,  is  a  hole  as  for  suspension.  The  other,  about  8  inches  long 
on  which  the  articular  part  remains,  is  worked  down  from  "the  left  ulna  of  a 
re i-}i  large  panther"  (Felix  concolor).  We  are  indebted  to  Dr.  F.  A.  Lucas  for 
the  identifications. 

At  the  right  elbow  was  a  small,  undecorated  vessel  of  earthenware — a  pot 
or  possibly  a  wide-mouthed  water-bottle.  At  the  feet  were  fragments  of  rattles 
which  had  been  perforated  for  suspension.  In  place  within  the  tortoise  or 
turtle  shells  had  been,  instead  of  pebbles,  the  rounded  throat-teeth  of  the  fresh 
water  drum-fish  (Aplodinotus  grunniens). 

Burial  Xo.  30,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  head  XW. ;  depth,  32  inches.  At 
the  neck  were  a  few  shell  beads,  and  in  the  soil  nearby,  perhaps  an  adventitious 
deposit,  was  a  disc  made  from  part  of  a  pottery  vessel. 

Burial  Xo.  33,  the  remains  of  a  badly  decayed  skeleton  which  had  been  partly 
flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  SE.;  depth,  28  inches.  Near  the  skull  was  a  pipe 
of  indurated  clay,  with  a  rim  extending  laterally,  as  shown  in  Eig.  88,  after 
restoration.  At  the  left  shoulder  were  two  chisels  of  shaly,  sedimentary  rock, 

38  .I0ri<\.   A.    X.  S.   I'HII.A.,   VOL.    XVI. 


378 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


each  about  4  inches  in  length,  rudely  circular  in  cross-section,  and  a  celt  3.25 
inches  long,  which  was  presented  to  Mr.  Gardenhire. 

Burial  No.  34,  the  bones  of  a  child,  20  inches  down,  which  had  been  some 
what  disturbed.  At  the  neck  were  a  number  of  shell  beads,  rudely  discoidal 
as  a  rule,  some  small,  but  many  nearly  .75  inch  in  diameter.  With  the  beads 
evidently  had  been  suspended  an  undccorated  gorget  which  lay  on  the  chest. 
Broken  car-plugs  were  near  this  burial. 

Burial  No.  35,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  SSE.;  depth,  20  inches. 
Near  the  outer  side  of  the  left  shoulder  was  a  pipe  of  indurated  clay,  somewhat 
resembling  the  one  found  with  Burial  No.  33.  The  end  of  the  portion  intended 


FIG.  90. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     With  Burial  No.  39.     Citico,  Term.     (Diam.  5.3  inches.) 

to  receive  the  stem  had  been  broken  and  the  ragged  margin  had  then  been 
smoothed  to  allow  the  continued  use  of  the  pipe  (Fig.  89).  About  9  inches 
from  the  left  elbow  was  a  celt  of  quartzite,  about  5.5  inches  in  length,  which 
may  have  belonged  to  another  burial,  scattered  bones  from  which  were 
nearby. 

Burial  No.  36,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  the  head  SW.  This  burial  lay  in  a 
grave-pit  4  feet  7  inches  deep.  The  failure  to  find  artifacts  of  any  kind  after 
the  trouble  taken  in  its  removal  was  a  disappointment. 

Burial  No.  39,  a  child.  At  the  head  were  two  shell  ear-plugs,  and  two  small 
vessels  of  earthenware,  one  undecoratcd,  the  other  with  loop-handles  and  a 
rude  decoration  of  parallel,  incised  lines  (Fig.  90).  Shell  beads  were  at  the  neck, 
and  near  the  cranium  was  a  rude  stone  ring  of  ferruginous,  silicious  rock,  a  natural 
formation  helped  out  by  art.  On  the  skull,  covering  a  very  small  area,  was  a 
green  stain  showing  the  former  presence  of  copper. 

Burial  No.  41,  a  young  child,  28  inches  down.  Large  and  small  shell  beads 
were  on  the  neck,  and  on  the  thorax  was  a  gorget  of  shell  5  by  6.5  inches,  bearing 
an  incised,  well-known  design  of  a  conventional  rattlesnake  (Fig.  91). 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


379 


The  design  of  the  rattlesnake  highly  conventionalized  on  gorgets,  seems  to 
be  almost  exclusively  a  product  of  the  aboriginal  art  of  Tennessee,  practically 
all  the  gorgets  of  this  class  figured  and  fully  described  by  Holmes1  being  from 


, 


*~ 


<. 


^ 


FKI.  1)1. — (iorget  of  shell,  with  conventional  rattlesnake  design.     With  Burial  Xo.  41.     Citico,  Tenn. 

(About  full  size.) 

that  state.  Thrustoir  speaks  of  thirty  or  forty  of  these  elaborately  carved 
gorgets  as  having  been  found  along  the  upper  valleys  of  the  Tennessee  river 
("meaning  from  the  tributaries  of  the  Tennessee),  and  says  of  gorgets  of  this 
class:  "The  central  head,  the  coiled  body  with  its  complicated  and  obscure 
involutions,  the  scaly  surface,  and  the  marginal  band,  arc  constantly  repeated 

1  William  II.  Holmes,  "Art  in  Shell  of  tin;  Ancient  Americans,"  Plates  LXIII,  LXIV,  LXV,  Figs. 
4  and  G,  LXVI,  Fig.  2. 

2  Op.  cit.,  p.  3:51  et  sci/. 


380  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

in  the  general  design.  Sometimes  the  strange,  coiled  figures  can  scarcely  be 
recognized,  yet,  upon  patient  examination,  the  mythological  serpent  is  always 
found  to  be  represented."  The  gorgets  of  this  kind  figured  by  Thruston  are 
taken  from  Holmes'  "Art  in  Shell,"  and  are  from  Tennessee.  The  earliest 
account  of  the  design  of  the  conventional  rattlesnake  on  gorgets  is  by  the  late 
Jeffries  Wyman.1 

Burial  No.  42,  a  young  child,  32  inches  down,  having  shell  beads  at  the  neck 
and  an  undecorated  gorget  of  shell  on  the  chest. 

Burial  No.  45,  a  young  child,  3  feet  down.  On  the  chest  was  a  shell  gorget 
in  the  shape  of  a  mask  representing  the  human  face,  4.7  inches  long  and  3.8 
inches  wide. 

Burial  No.  46,  a  child;  depth,  39  inches.  A  small  discoidal  of  limestone  was 
at  the  knees.  Incidentally,  it  may  be  said  that  in  the  midden-debris  at  this 
place  and  on  the  surface  were  a  number  of  small,  discoidal  stones,  and  stones 
of  this  kind  were  found  with  the  burials  of  children.  Also  there  were  found 
many  discs  of  pottery  made  from  fragments  of  earthenware  vessels,  some  of  these 
discs  being  very  carefully  rounded.  The  small  stone  discs  presumably  were 
not  of  sufficient  size  to  have  been  used  in  the  game  of  chunkey,  but  it  is  possible 
they  were  employed  in  some  other  game  and  may  have  been  used  interchangeably 
with  the  pottery  discs.  As  the  reader  probably  is  aware,  these  discs  of  earthen 
ware,  found  so  widely  throughout  the  United  States,  were  used  in  ancient  times 
abroad.  They  are  found  in  Italian  neolithic  stations  and  in  Egypt.3  Similar 
discs  belonging  to  a  prc-Roman  period  have  been  discovered  in  Basel,  Switzer 
land.2 

Burial  No.  47.  The  trunk  of  this  skeleton  lay  on  the  back,  the  right  humerus 
along  the  body  with  the  right  forearm  crossing  to  the  pelvis.  The  left  upper 
arm  lay  along  the  trunk,  the  forearm  across  it.  The  thighs  were  widely  sepa 
rated,  the  legs  being  flexed  at  an  acute  angle,  bringing  the  feet  together.  The 
head  was  directed  NNW.  The  burial  was  4.5  feet  deep.  At  the  neck  were 
small  marine  shells  pierced  for  use  as  beads  (Marginella  apicina).  On  the  chest, 
having  been  suspended  by  a  string  of  beads,  was  a  shell  gorget  of  the  human- 
face  variety,  6.5  inches  long  by  5  inches  in  width.  At  the  right  and  left  wrists 
were  beads  of  the  same  variety  as  those  found  on  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  49.  The  upper  part  of  the  trunk  of  this  skeleton,  which  was  32 
inches  from  the  surface,  was  on  the  right  side,  the  lower  part  on  the  back,  the 
thighs  being  flexed  to  an  almost  vertical  position  and  being,  of  course,  near 
together.  The  legs  were  flexed  down  from  the  knees  at  an  acute  angle,  being 
consequently  near  the  thighs.  The  head  was  NE.  At  the  right  hand  was  a 
leaf-shaped  implement  of  flint,  5.6  inches  in  length  and  2.4  inches  in  maximum 
width. 

1  Fifth  Annual  Report  Pcabody  Museum,  p.  17  et  scq. 

2  Angolo  Mosso,  "The  Dawn  of  Mediterranean  Civilization,"  pp.  88,  89. 

3  Karl  Stehlin,   "Die   Praehistorisc'he  Ansiedelung  bei   dor  Gasfabrik  in  Basel,"   "Anzeiger  fiir 
Schweizerische  Altertumskunde,"  Band  XVI,  Heft  1,  p.  9. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER, 


381 


Burial  No.  50,  a  young  child,  bones  badly  decayed,  33  inches  down,  having 
shell  beads  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  51,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  the  head  SSE.;  depth,  3  feet.  With 
this  burial  was  a  pipe  of  indurated  clay,  having  a  small  part  missing  from  the 
end  which  received  the  stem. 

Burial  No.  52,  a  child,  the  bones  much  decayed;  depth,  34  inches.  At  the 
neck  were  shell  beads,  and  at  the  chest  a  shell  gorget  of  the  human-face  variety, 
very  badly  decayed.  Beside  it  was  a  broken  bowl  of  earthenware,  undecorated 
except  for  small  projections  which  probably  represent  head,  tail,  and  fins,  an 
effort  to  bring  it  into  the  effigy  class. 


FIG.  92. — Gorget  of  .shell,  having  a  conventional  rattlesnake  design.      With  Burial  No.  50.     Citico, 

Term.     (About  full  size.) 

Burial  No.  53,  a  child,  40  inches  down.  At  the  neck  were  shell  beads,  each 
flat,  oblong,  and  notched  on  two  opposite  sides,  which  had  served  to  suspend  a 
gorget  lying  on  the  chest,  bearing  an  engraved  design  representing  the  con 
ventional  rattlesnake,  part  of  which  had  scaled  away  through  the  action  of 
moisture. 

Burial  No.  55,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  head  NW. ;  depth,  40  inches.  Shell 
beads  were  at  the  neck. 


382  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  56,  a  child;  depth,  26  inches.  On  the  chest  was  a  shell  gorget 
having  the  conventionalized  rattlesnake  design  (Fig.  92). 

Burial  No.  57,  a  child,  depth,  31  inches,  having  at  the  neck  shell  beads  and 
on  the  chest  a  gorget  bearing  the  design  of  a  rattlesnake,  conventionalized,  part 
of  which  had  scaled  away.  Over  the  pelvis  were  two  vessels — a  bowl  with 
undecorated  body  having  two  small,  flat  handles  projecting  horizontally,  in 
which,  upright,  stood  a  pot  with  two  loop-handles  and  rude  line-decoration  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  body  which  also  was  surrounded  by  a  fillet.  In  this  pot 
was  the  skull  of  an  infant  which  probably  got  there  through  the  great  disturbance 
of  burials  prevailing  in  the  elevation. 

Burial  No.  58,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  head  NE.  by  E.;  depth,  6  inches. 
Shell  beads  were  at  the  neck. 

Burial  No.  59,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  head  N.;  depth,  16  inches.  At  the 
neck  were  411  shell  beads,  in  addition  to  broken  ones,  some  globular  with  flattened 
poles,  some  barrel-shaped,  the  largest  bead  being  about  .75  inch  in  diameter. 

Burial  No.  60,  partly  flexed  on  the  left,  the  right  forearm  across  the  trunk, 
the  head  SW. ;  depth,  35  inches.  At  the  neck  were  small  marine  shells  used  as 
beads,  very  badly  decayed,  and  at  the  chin  was  a  gorget  of  shell  on  which  had 
been  engraved  the  usual  conventional  rattlesnake  design,  most  of  which,  how 
ever,  had  decayed  away.  Both  wrists  were  stained  green  by  salts  of  copper. 
At  the  right  wrist  there  still  remained  small,  tubular  beads  of  that  metal. 

Burial  No.  61,  partly  flexed  to  the  right.  Some  of  the  skull  was  missing 
through  contact  with  a  plow,  which  doubtless  had  carried  away  also  a  shell 
ear-plug  of  the  "bracket"  variety,  one  of  which  was  found  at  the  under  side 
of  the  skull. 

Burial  No.  62.  This  burial  must  be  considered  in  a  synecdochical  sense, 
a  part  for  the  whole.  Presumably  a  skeleton  wrapped  in  fabric  of  some  sort  and 
still  further  enclosed  perhaps  in  hide,  had  been  placed  at  the  bottom  of  a  grave 
about  35  inches  deep.  On  the  burial  had  been  thrown  very  hot  clay,  filling  the 
grave,  which  was  2  feet  wide,  to  a  depth  of  11.5  inches.  This  clay,  which  the 
fire  had  turned  red,  had  been  sufficiently  hot  thoroughly  to  char  the  materials 
wrapped  around  the  bones  and  the  bones  themselves,  but  had  not  been  sufficiently 
heated  to  discolor  the  clay  on  the  sides  and  the  bottom  of  the  grave.  The  bones 
and  enveloping  material  at  the  base  of  the  pit  had  a  maximum  thickness  of 
about  3  inches.  Above  them,  as  stated,  came  11.5  inches  of  brick-red  clay, 
on  top  of  which,  to  the  surface,  was  the  ordinary  soil  of  the  elevation. 

Now,  unfortunately,  there  remained  in  the  ground  but  a  section  of  the  burial 
from  which  to  draw  conclusions,  one  grave  having  cut  away  the  burial  under 
description  from  the  lumbar  vertebrae  up,  while  another  grave,  intersecting,  had 
removed  the  skeleton  from  the  pelvis  down.  There  remained,  then,  to  indicate 
the  form  of  burial,  but  the  pelvis,  the  lumbar  vertebrse,  and  part  of  the  forearm 
bones  of  the  right  side.  Above  these  were  sections  of  the  grave  as  described. 

This  use  of  hot  clay  in  connection  with  burials  has  been  fully  described  in 
our  account  of  the  mound  on  the  Bennett  Place,  Marion  County,  Tenn. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER,  383 

Burial  No.  63,  a  child,  15  inches  down,  having  a  small,  rude,  stone  disc  at 
the  chin  and  another  at  the  right  of  the  skull,  one  of  slate,  one  of  kaolinized, 
felspathic  rock.  Fragments  of  a  shell  gorget  lay  on  the  thorax. 

Burial  No.  65,  the  bones  of  a  child,  lying  at  a  depth  of  16  inches.  Beneath 
the  skull  was  a  triangular  arrowhead. 

Burial  No.  66,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  left  forearm  across  the  trunk, 
the  head  SW.;  depth,  26  inches.  A  small,  spool-shaped  ear-plug  of  shell  was 
at  one  side  of  the  skull,  but  its  mate,  for  some  reason,  was  not  found. 

Burials  Nos.  67  and  68,  each  a  child  having  shell  beads  at  the  neck,  33  and 
21  inches  deep,  respectively. 

Burial  No.  69,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  with  both  forearms  flexed  against 
the  humeri,  the  head  SW.  At  the  neck  were  six  perforated  pearls  used  as  beads. 
A  small  celt  of  igneous  rock  was  at  the  left  shoulder.  At  the  right  side  of  the 
skull  was  a  pile  of  graceful,  triangular  arrowheads  of  flint,  thirty-two  in  number, 
all  of  which  pointed  in  the  same  direction  with  the  exception  of  five  which  were 
disturbed  by  the  trowel,  but  no  doubt  had  coincided  in  direction  with  the  rest. 
With  the  arrowheads  was  a  pipe  of  indurated  clay,  in  fragments  but  since  put 
together. 

Burial  No.  70,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  with  both  forearms  flexed  against 
the  humeri,  the  head  SW.;  depth,  37  inches.  Under  the  right  femur  was  a 
leaf-shaped  implement  of  flint,  7  inches  in  length. 

Burial  No.  72,  a  child,  30  inches  deep.  Scattered  around  this  burial  were 
eleven  small,  flint  arrowpoints  of  the  usual  triangular  type  found  at  this  place, 
one  beautifully  serrated,  which  probably  had  been  in  a  deposit  with  the  burial 
of  an  adult,  the  bones  of  which  the  child's  interment  had  greatly  disturbed. 

Burial  No.  73,  a  child,  3  feet  down,  having  near  the  skull  the  remains  of  a 
shell  gorget  which  probably  had  swung  out  from  the  neck  or  chest  at  the  time 
the  burial  was  deposited.  This  gorget  evidently  had  been  attached  to  a  string 
or  strings  of  shell  beads  which  lay  in  front  of,  and  at  the  left  of,  the  skull.  Similar 
beads  were  found  down  the  left  arm  and  forearm,  and  along  both  thighs  and 
legs.  These  beads,  of  moderate  size,  some  discoidal,  others  globular  with  flat 
tened  poles,  numbered  530.  With  them  were  383  small  marine  shells  (Marginella 
apicina)  which  had  been  pierced  for  stringing.  Immediately  under  the  chin, 
on  the  chest,  were  two  discoidal  stones,  one  of  quartz,  the  other  probably  of 
some  sedimentary  rock,  each  about  1.5  inch  in  diameter. 

Burial  No.  75,  a  deposit  of  calcined  fragments  of  human  bones  occupying  a 
space  20  inches  by  18  inches  and  having  a  maximum  thickness  of  2  inches, 
lay  10  inches  below  the  surface. 

Burial  No.  76,  lying  partly  flexed  to  the  left  at  a  depth  of  28  inches,  the 
head  N.  by  W.,  was  a  skeleton  having  between  the  trunk  and  knees  an  inverted 
bowl,  undecorated,  somewhat  crushed,  which  had  been  placed  over  an  upright, 
undecorated  bowl,  also  crushed  when  found. 

Burial  No.  78,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  right  forearm  crossing  the  pelvis, 


384 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


FIG.  93. — Pipe  of  earthenware. 
With  Burial  No.  78.  Citico,  Tenn. 
(About  full  size.) 


the  head  SSE.;  depth,  40  inches.  A  few  inches  from  the  left  of  the  skull,  with  a 
small  quantity  of  charcoal,  was  a  deposit  of  seven  celts  of  indurated  shale, 
ranging  in  length  between  3.25  inches  and  9.5  inches,  one  being  somewhat 
different  from  the  ordinary  hatchet  or  chisel.  This  tool,  slightly  more  than 

6.5  inches  in  length,  is  flat  on  one  side  and  con 
vex  on  the  other,  and  has,  at  one  end,  a  cutting 
edge  showing  use.  The  tools  in  this  deposit, 
which  were  horizontal  and  without  uniformity 
as  to  the  direction  of  the  cutting  edges,  lay  par 
allel  to  the  skeleton  and  to  each  other,  and  were 
all  in  contact  one  with  another,  or  nearly  so. 
The  implements  had  been  arranged  in  two  rows, 
the  one  nearest  the  skull  consisting  of  two,  one 
placed  above  the  other,  and  two  lying  singly; 
the  lower  row  being  the  large  celt  with  two 
smaller  ones  in  line  with  each  other,  beside  it, 
the  celts  first  mentioned  in  each  row  being  nearest 
the  bones. 

Immediately  under  this  deposit  were  the  re 
mains  of  a  shell  gorget  of  the  human-face  variety. 
An  earthenware  pipe  (Fig.  93)  showing  the  con 
ventional  beak  of  a  bird,  a  form  prevalent  at  this  place,  lay  at  the  inner  side 
of  the  left  forearm. 

Burial  No.  79,  a  child  buried  at  a  depth  of  26  inches.  Around  the  base  of 
the  skull  lay  a  necklet  made  up  of  six  tubular  beads  of  bone,  from  3  to  3.5  inches 
in  length,  fashioned  from  wing-bones  of  birds.  This  necklet  evidently  had  held 
suspended  an  ornament  of  copper  which  had  deeply  dyed  green  one  side  of  one 
of  the  beads.  The  metal  ornament  had  been  made  from  sheet-copper,  circular 
in  the  main  but  having  a  small  projection  to  accommodate  a  perforation  for 
attachment.  A  circular  opening  in  the  middle  has  a  diameter  of  about  one  inch. 
At  each  ear  was  a  small  ear-plug  of  shell,  having  a  groove  to  accommodate 
the  encircling  lobe  of  the  ear.  At  the  right  wrist  were  four  blue  glass  beads  and 
a  few  crumbling  beads  of  shell. 

Burial  No.  80,  the  skeleton  of  an  adolescent,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  lay 
at  a  depth  of  18  inches,  the  head  SE.  In  the  angle  between  the  flexed  thighs 
and  the  pelvis  was  a  deposit  consisting  of  a  flat  pebble,  roughly  circular,  about 
2.7  inches  in  diameter,  on  which  rested  the  remains  of  a  large  musselshell;  four 
worked  fragments  of  deer  antler,  three  small,  the  other  with  a  cutting  edge  and 
probably  having  served  as  a  tool;  a  stone  implement  of  a  widely  prevalent  type, 
somewhat  resembling  a  celt  but  having  a  blunt  edge,  and  sometimes  with  a 
perforation  at  the  upper  end;  two  rude  knives  of  flint. 

Burial  No.  82,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  SSE.,  lay  at  a  depth  of 
32  inches.  At  one  side  of  the  head  was  a  shell  ear-plug  of  the  "bracket  shape," 


ABORKilXAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  385 

its  mate  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  skull  probably  having  been  broken  and 
thrown  out  by  our  digger  who  came  upon  the  skeleton  at  the  part  where  the  ear 
plug  would  bo. 

Burial  No.  85  had  the  upper  part  of  the  trunk  lying  on  the  right  side;  the 
lower  part  and  the  thighs,  which  extended  in  line  with  the  trunk,  had  been  twisted 
so  that  they  lay  prone.  The  legs  were  closely  flexed  back  against  the  thighs. 
The  head  pointed  SE.;  the  depth  was  20  inches.  Above  the  legs  was  an  un- 
decorated  pot,  having  two  loop-handles. 

Burial  No.  90,  partly  flexed  to  the  left  side,  the  head  directed  SSE.,  lay 
near  to,  and  at  the  same  level  as,  the  last-mentioned  burial  of  a  child  whose  bones 
had  been  somewhat  disturbed  by  the  later  interment  of  those;  of  the  adult. 
Scattered  at  considerable  distances  apart,  near  the  bones,  were  fragments  bo- 
longing  to  shell  gorgets  of  the  type  of  the  human  face,  which  evidently  had 
been  broken  at  the  time  of  the  disturbance,  as  the  margins  of  the  broken  parts 
showed  the  effect  of  time.  Strenuous  effort  to  recover  all  the  fragments  was 
unsuccessful. 

Burial  No.  94  lay  with  the  trunk  on  the  right  side,  but  owing  to  the  grave 
being  narrow,  the  logs  and  thighs  were  flexed  upward  to  the  right.  The  head 
was  directed  \VSW.;  the  depth,  18  inches. 

Burial  No.  95,  the  skeleton  of  a  child  about  three  years  of  age,  lying  4  feet 
below  the  surface  in  a  grave  the  beginning  of  which  could  not  be  determined  in 
the  comparatively  homogeneous  deposit  of  the  ridge. 

On  one  side  of  the  skeleton  two  slabs,  one  of  sandstone,  one  of  limestone,  had 
been  placed  obliquely  over  the  skeleton,  which  lay  partly  flexed  on  the  left  side, 
facing  the  angle  made  by  the  slabs  and  the  ground.  Those  slabs  did  not  rest 
at  the  same  level  as  the  bones,  their  bases  having  been  placed  6  inches  above  the 
bottom  of  the  grave,  the  upper  margins  being  about  a  foot  above  the  bones. 
The  slabs,  one  of  which  slightly  overlapped  the  other,  provided  a  covering  25 
inches  in  length.  They  were  irregular  in  outline,  their  diameters  being  roughly 
about  1  foot  5  inches  by  1  foot  2  inches,  and  1  foot  2  inches  by  1  foot,  respectively. 

At  the  neck  of  the  child  was  a  circular  gorget  of  shell,  about  2  inches  in 
diameter,  without  decoration,  having  a  single  hole  near  the  edge  for  suspension. 
Two  small  beads,  barrel-shaped,  were  with  the  gorget. 

Burial  No.  96  was  closely  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head  SW.,  depth  16  inches. 
A  radius  having  a  united  break,  belonging  to  this  skeleton,  has  been  sent  by  us 
as  a  gift  to  the  Army  Medical  Museum,  Washington,  D.  ( '. 

Burial  No.  97,  a  child  about  five  years  of  age,  rested  on  the  skeleton  of  an 
adult  female  (Burial  No.  98),  the  head  of  the  child  on  that  of  the  woman,  its 
body,  so  far  as  it  extended,  on  and  parallel  to  the  lower  burial.  The  woman's 
arms  had  not  encircled  the  child. 

Burial  No.  98,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  EXE.,  depth  30  inches. 
Both  upper  arms  wore  against  the  body,  as  was  the  right  forearm,  the  left  fore 
arm  being  flexed  across  the  trunk.  The  skull  of  this  skeleton  was  preserved. 

39  JOURN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA..  VOL.  XVI. 


386 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 


A  few  inches  from  the  head  was  a  pot  having  two  loop-handles  and  a  row  made 
up  of  six  small  projections  encircling  the  body  below  the  rim. 

Burial  No.  100,  adolescent.     The  trunk  lay  on  the  back,  the  left  arm  and 
forearm  along  the  trunk,  the  right  arm  being  beside  the  body,  the  forearm  across 

it  above  the  pelvis.  The  thighs  were  flexed  up 
ward,  the  legs  back  against  them.  The  head 
was  directed  SSE.;  the  depth  was  18  inches. 
Three  tubular,  bone  beads,  each  about  1.5  inch  in 
length,  were  near  the  skull,  which  was  saved  in  a 
somewhat  damaged  condition,  and  without  the 
lower  jaw,  which  was  not  present. 

Here  ends  the  list  of  burials  found  by  us 
near  the  Oitico  mound,  though  doubtless  many 
others  were  left  behind,  especially  in  the  ridge. 

So  numerous  were  intersecting  graves  in  parts 
of  the  elevation  and  consequent  disturbances  of 
burials  that  dissociated  objects  or  artifacts  with 
scattered  bones  were  fairly  plentiful  in  the  soil, 
the  following  objects  having  been  found  in  the 
elevation:  a  number  of  triangular  arrowheads  of  flint;  shell  beads;  three  un- 
decorated  shell  gorgets  and  one  with  a  design  partly  decayed  away ;  two  earthen 
ware  pipes,  one  of  which,  shown  in  Fig.  94,  belongs  to  the  class  representing  a 


f 


FIG.    94. — Pipe    of    earthenware 
Citico,  Term.     (About  full  size.) 


FIG.  95. — Vessel  of  earthenware.     Citico,  Tenii.     (Diam.  7  inches.) 

conventional  beak  of  a  bird,  noted  before  at  this  place;  one  undecorated  pipe  of 
claystone;  three  undecorated  pots  of  earthenware,  one  with  rude,  line  decora 
tion,  another  showing  somewhat  more  ambitious  endeavor  (Fig.  95) ;  an  earthen 
ware  trowel,  mushroom-shaped;  a  number  of  small,  discoidal  stones,  one  bicave; 
two  small  celts  of  iron  or  of  steel;  a  leaf -shaped  implement  of  flint,  with  part 
of  one  edge  broken  out;  a  bone  tube  2.5  inches  in  length. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  387 

With  scattered  bones  was  a  group  of  objects  as  follows:  a  bone  piercing  imple 
ment  ;  a  small  cube  of  galena,  artificially  shaped,  as  the  structure  does  not  agree 
with  the  crystalline,  or  natural,  cube;  a  bit  of  red  oxide  of  iron;  two  rude  or 
partly-finished  arrowheads;  a  flat  pebble  resembling  a  celt  in  outline;  some 
pebbles  and  parts  of  pebbles,  of  flint;  one  small  mass  of  limestone. 

With  other  disturbed  bones  was  a  deposit  of  flint  arrowheads,  unfortunately 
thrown  out  and  scattered  by  the  digger,  from  which  twenty-two  were  recovered. 

From  the  soil  of  the  ridge  came:  discoidal  stones  and  discs  of  pottery;  a 
bead  of  bone,  nearly  one  inch  in  length;  a  bicave  of  earthenware;1  a  pipe  blocked 
out  of  claystonc  (Fig.  96);  the  lower  jaw  of  a  wolf,  having,  when  found,  a  bone 


FIG.  96. — Pipe  blocked  out  but  unfinished.     Citico,  Tcnn.     (Full  size.) 

piercing  implement  resting  upon  it;  a  fragment  of  earthenware  from  a  con 
siderable  depth,  the  ware  being  tempered  with  fine  particles  of  shell  and  having 
a  superior,  yellow  slip  bearing  a  decoration  in  red  paint,  very  carefully  con 
ferred.  This  fragment,  similar  to  one  found  on  the  surface,  belongs  to  the  same 
class  of  painted  ware  as  do  the  two  bowls  found  in  Mound  A  at  the  Bennett 
Place,  below  Chattanooga  (pages  338-352).  At  the  Citico  site  apparently  this 
fine  ware  was  too  highly  prized  to  place  it  with  the  dead. 

MOUND  ON  THE  BELL  PLACE,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

The  Bell  Place,  of  which  Mr.  James  S.  Bell,  of  Hill  City,  Tcnn.,  is  the  owner, 
is  just  above  the  union  of  South  Chickamauga  creek  with  Tennessee  river.  In 
a  cultivated  field  at  this  place  is  a  mound  within  sight  from  the  river,  slightly 
more  than  10  feet  in  height  and  60  feet  across  its  circular  base.  This  mound, 
covered  with  stumps  and  trees,  had  been  so  greatly  dug  into  in  various  parts 
that  no  investigation  was  attempted  by  us.  In  sight  from  this  mound  were 

1  Dr.  H.  M.  Wholpley  refers  to  bicaves  of  pottery  in  \V.  K.  Moorehend's  ''Prehistoric  Imple 
ments,"  p.  105. 


388  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

several  slight  rises  which  we  were  told  were  what  remained  of  mounds  that  had 
been  plowed  away. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  MCKENZIE  PLACE,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

On  the  McKenzie  Place,  of  which  Mr.  R.  N.  McKenzie,  of  Chattanooga, 

Tcnn.,  is  the  owner,  are  three  small  mounds  in  full  view  from  the  southern  end 
of  the  C.  N.  0.  and  T.  P.  railroad  bridge  which  crosses  the  Tennessee  river  at 
this  place.  These  mounds,  never  of  any  importance  as  to  size,  have  been  dug 
into  and  plowed  away  to  such  an  extent  that  no  measurement  would  give  any 
idea  of  their  original  dimensions  or  shapes.  No  investigation  was  attempted. 

MOUNDS  BELOW  HARRISON  FERRY,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

Two  miles  below  Harrison  Ferry,  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  river,  going 
up,  is  a  group  of  four  mounds,  all  in  full  view  one  from  another  and  from  the 
river-bank.  Two  of  these  mounds  are  on  the  property  of  Mr.  James  Hunter, 
living  some  distance  back  from  the  river,  one  symmetrical  with  circular  base, 
having  a  diameter  of  44  feet,  being  almost  intact.  Its  height  is  7  feet. 

The  other  mound,  also  circular  as  to  the  base,  is  48  feet  in  diameter  and  7.5 
feet  in  height,  according  to  our  measurement,  which  is  uncertain,  as  masses  of 
material  thrown  up  by  a  previous  digger  have  bushes  growing  over  them  and 
can  not  be  distinguished  from  the  mound  proper.  Permission  to  dig  was  not 
granted. 

The  remaining  two  mounds  are  on  the  Montgomery  Place,  which  adjoins 
that  of  Mr.  Hunter  and  of  which  Mr.  J.  H.  Montgomery  is  the  owner.  The 
mound  farther  from  the  river-bank  is  42  feet  in  diameter  and  4.5  feet  in  height. 
An  excavation  about  5  feet  by  8  feet  was  put  down  in  the  central  part  of  this 
mound,  passing  through  part  of  a  former  digging.  In  a  portion  of  the  mound 
not  included  by  our  predecessor,  at  a  depth  of  one  foot,  was  the  skeleton  of  an 
adult  lying  partly  flexed  to  the  right.  Part  of  a  skeleton  near  this  one,  and  at 
about  the  same  depth,  had  been  cut  off  by  a  former  trench.  In  one  part  of 
our  excavation  was  a  thin  deposit  of  musselshells  (Unio)  which  included  a  mass 
of  silicious  rock  in  that  part  of  the  deposit  dug  through  by  us.  This  deposit  of 
shells  was  about  32  inches  from  the  top  of  the  mound  and  seemed  to  be  on  what 
had  been  the  original  surface  of  the  ground,  though  our  measurement  from  the 
outside  made  it  somewhat  more.  Cutting  through  the  deposit  of  shells  was  a 
grave-pit,  the  starting-point  of  which  we  could  not  determine;  its  base,  however, 
was  somewhat  more  than  5  feet  in  depth.  On  the  bottom  of  the  pit  lay  the  skele 
ton  of  an  adult,  extended  on  the  back. 

In  the  same  grave  as  the  preceding  burial  was  a  skeleton  almost  extended 
on  the  back  but  having  the  knees  projecting  somewhat  to  the  right.  At  the 
left  of  the  pelvis  was  the  axis  of  a  conch-shell,  much  decayed. 

The  other  mound  on  the  Montgomery  Place  had  a  diameter  of  38  feet,  the 
height  being  somewhat  less  than  8  feet.  An  excavation  8  feet  3  inches  by  4  feet 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  389 

9  inches  was  sunk  by  us,  which  passed  down  beyond  a  former  hole  and  came  to 
what  was  apparently  undisturbed  soil  at  a  depth  of  G  feet  8  inches,  passing  through 
a  considerable  deposit  of  musselshells  at  one  place,  mingled  with  which,  without 
arrangement,  were  masses  of  silicious  rock,  most  about  the  size  of  a  human 
fist,  some  larger,  some  smaller.  About  4  feet  down  was  a  skeleton  flexed  to  the 
left,  the  skull  somewhat  disturbed,  probably  by  the  former  trench.  Between 
the  thighs  lay  what  had  the  appearance  of  a  celt  of  shaly,  sedimentary  rock, 
about  5  inches  in  length,  but  the  cutting  edge  was  wanting,  in  its  place  being  a 
surface  nearly  one-quarter  inch  in  width.  Between  the  legs,  together,  were 
three  piercing  implements  of  bone;  a  chisel  about  4  inches  in  length,  with  pecked 
surface;  and  a  small  celt  somewhat  broken. 

In  a  grave  which  extended  into  the  original  soil  were  four  burials,  all  near 
together,  two  about  7  feet  down,  the  other  two  probably  6  inches  deeper.  With 
none  was  artifact  of  any  kind.  The  forms  of  burial  were  as  follows:  One  closely 
flexed,  face  down,  both  forearms  flexed  back  against  the  upper  arms;  two  at  full 
length  on  the  back;  one,  extended,  face  down.  An  arrowhead  of  flint  was  at 
some  distance  from  the  bones. 

A  small  and  unpromising  dwelling-site  at  this  place  was  not  investigated, 
owing  to  its  being  planted  in  vegetables. 

MOUND  ON  THE  HIXSON  PLACE,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

On  the  left-hand  side  of  the  river,  going  up,  about  opposite  the  middle  of 
Dallas  Island,  is  the  farm  of  Mr.  Foster  Hixson,  who  resides  nearby.  On  this 
farm,  in  sight  from  the  river,  is  a  mound  in  a  cultivated  field,  which  has  been 
practically  square,  with  a  flat  top.  The  height  is  16  feet,  the  diameter,  about 
105  feet,  of  which  55  feet,  approximately,  is  covered  by  the  summit-plateau. 
No  significant  orientation  distinguishes  the  sides  or  corners  of  this  mound. 
There  is  a  small  site  adjacent  to  the  mound,  having,  however,  little  but  frag 
ments  of  stone  on  the  surface.  Permission  to  excavate  not  granted. 

MOUND  AT  LOVE  LADY  LANDING,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

On  the  side  of  a  low  hill  is  a  mound  in  full  view  from  Lovelady  Landing,  on 
the  property  of  Mrs.  Jane  Lovelady,  of  Pride,  Tenn.  The  mound,  in  a  culti 
vated  field,  and  itself  covered  with  growing  wheat  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  is  fairly 
symmetrical.  Its  height  is  6.5  feet;  the  diameter  of  its  circular  base,  50  feet. 
Owing  to  the  growing  crop  on  the  mound  no  investigation  was  attempted. 

MOUND  NEAK  LOVELADY  LANDING,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

Directly  in  line  from  the  mound  just  described,  and  in  sight  from  it,  is  a 
mound  in  a  cultivated  field  belonging  to  Mr.  Jesse  C.ann,  who  lives  a  little  back 
from  Lovelady  Landing.  This  mound,  3  feet  8  inches  high  and  50  feet  in  dia 
meter,  covered  with  growing  grain  when  we  were  there,  has  been  much  plowed 
over  and  doubtless  considerably  spread.  We  were  courteously  permitted  to 


390  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

put  down  a  hole  6  feet  by  9  feet  in  this  mound,  which  was  of  sandy  clay.  Twenty- 
eight  inches  down  was  a  deposit  of  musselshells  (Unio),  which  covered  much  of 
the  base  of  our  excavation,  about  6  inches  in  thickness  in  the  middle  parts  and 
tapering  at  the  margin  to  about  half  that  thickness.  This  deposit  contained 
here  and  there  nine  masses  of  silicious  rock,  the  largest  being  about  the  size  of  a 
human  head. 

This  shell  deposit  rested  on  a  layer  of  dark  soil  which  evidently  represented 
the  original  surface,  as  beneath  it  was  undisturbed  ground.  This  deposit  was 
carefully  removed  with  a  view  of  determining  if  burials  lay  immediately  beneath 
or  in  grave-pits  extending  into  the  subsoil,  but  nothing  was  discovered. 

Beyond  the  deposit  of  shells,  however,  was  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back, 
31  inches  down,  not  in  a  grave,  so  far  as  could  be  determined,  the  burial  having 
been  placed,  apparently,  immediately  on  the  original  surface  of  the  ground. 
Another  skeleton  lay  9  inches  above,  partly  flexed  on  the  right.  The  heads  of 
these  burials  were  directed  toward  exactly  opposite  points.  The  deeper  burial 
apparently  lay  on  the  original  surface,  and  the  mound,  in  being  piled  above, 
had  included  the  other  burial,  as  no  sign  of  a  pit  was  discernible  in  connection 
with  it. 

MOUND  BELOW  IGOU  FERRY,  HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

About  one  mile  below  Igou  Ferry,  in  a  cultivated  field,  in  sight  from  the 
river,  on  property  belonging  to  Mrs.  Mattie  Igou,  who  lives  upon  it,  is  a  mound 
7  feet  6  inches  high  as  measured  by  us  from  the  outside,  and  52  feet  in  diameter 
of  base.  This  mound,  which  has  a  circular  base,  was  fairly  symmetrical,  showing 
no  sign  of  cultivation  or  of  previous  digging.  Numerous  trees,  one  of  consider 
able  size,  were  on  the  mound  at  the  time  of  our  visit. 

A  central  hole,  9  feet  by  16  feet  at  the  top  and  somewhat  greater  at  the 
bottom,  was  put  down.  About  6  inches  below  the  blunt  apex  of  the  mound, 
Burial  No.  1  was  reached,  which  lay  beneath  irregular  slabs  of  stone  in  the 
following  way:  First  came  two  slabs  of  silicious  rock,  side  by  side,  1  foot  8  inches 
by  10  inches  by  3  inches  thick,  and  1  foot  10  inches  by  1  foot  by  6  inches  in 
maximum  thickness,  respectively.  Immediately  beneath  these  masses  was  a 
slab  of  limestone  11  inches  by  9  inches  by  2  inches  thick.  All  these  slabs,  of 
course,  were  of  irregular  outline.  A  few  inches  below  the  slabs  were  the  remains 
of  a  young  child  having  near  the  head  a  pot  of  inferior  ware,  3  inches  in  height, 
with  a  margin  four  times  scalloped  and  below  each  elevation  a  small  knob. 
About  the  neck  and  on  the  chest  of  the  skeleton  was  a  profusion  of  shell  beads  of 
various  sizes  and  shapes,  the  largest  ones  being  barrel-shaped  and  about  .5  inch 
in  length.  There  were  also  discoidal  beads  and  diminutive  tubular  ones,  some 
only  about  .1  inch  long.  With  these  were  a  few,  small,  marine  shells  pierced 
for  use  as  beads. 

Burials  Nos.  2,  3,  4,  5  were  widely  apart  in  the  limits  of  the  excavation  at 
respective  depths  of  22,  38,  36,  and  38  inches,  and  consisted  of,  respectively: 
the  decaying  remains  of  a  skull;  two  femora  in  fragments;  teeth  and  traces  of  a 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  391 

skull;  a  fragment  of  a  femur.     All  these  bones  had  belonged  to  adults.     They 
were  not,  so  far  as  we  could  determine,  in  pits. 

Burial  No.  G,  at  about  33  inches  from  the  surface,  in  the  central  part  of  the 
mound  but  not  immediately  under  Burial  No.  1,  was  a  grave-pit  3  feet  (5  inches 
by  4  feet  6  inches,  filled  with  musselshells,  with  which  were  mingled  large  pebbles, 
fragments  of  pebbles,  masses  of  silicious  rock,  and  one  fragment  of  limestone. 
The  thickness  of  this  deposit  was  10  inches.  While  the  sides  of  the  grave-pit 
surrounding  the  shells  were  clear-cut  and  perpendicular,  it  was  impossible  to  say 
if  the  pit  began  with  the  shells  or  above  them,  as  the  material  above  the  shells 
was  precisely  similar  to  the  clay  and  sand  of  which  the  mound  was  composed. 

Under  this  mass  of  shell  and  stone  was  the  skeleton  of  a  child  lying  at  full 
length  on  the  back,  on  whose  skull  had  been  placed  a  flat,  quadrangular  mass  of 
mica  schist,  11  inches  by  9  inches  by  3  inches,  which  had  crushed  the  cranium. 
At  the  neck  were  many  small,  marine  shells  of  two  varieties  (Mttryhiclla  apicina 
and  Olivella  mutica),  used  as  beads,  apparently  similar  to  others  found  with 
burials  along  the  river.  At  the  outer  side  of  the  right  elbow  and  of  the  right 
femur,  respectively,  was  the  columella  of  a  conch  (Bust/con),  both  ends  of  which, 
in  each  instance,  had  been  clearly  cut  across  and  not  broken.  These  columella! 
probably  were  material  in  the  rough  for  the  manufacture  of  beads  or  of  pendants, 
and  probably  are  the  "hearts"  of  shells  such  as  were  carried  by  Cabeca  de  Vaca 
on  his  journey  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  to  trade  with  the  Indians. 

The  mound  contained  no  fireplaces  and,  as  we  have  said,  no  midden-debris. 
The  upper  part  was  yellow,  sandy  clay,  varying  in  thickness  from  3.5  feet  to 
4.5  feet;  next  came  from  2  to  3  feet  of  similar  material,  though  of  a  slightly 
darker  shade;  then  the  yellow  soil  of  the  upper  part  of  the  mound.  Our  excava 
tion  was  carried  through  these  strata  and  beyond  to  a  depth  of  one  foot,  bringing 
the  depth  of  the  excavation  to  the  measured  height  of  the  mound,  but  no  basal 
line  was  encountered,  nor  were  two  good-sized  holes  sunk  from  the  floor  of  our 
excavation  to  a  considerable  depth  successful  in  determining  the  base. 

Seven  feet  eight  inches  from  the  surface  of  the  mound  were  two  badly  decayed 
libirc  of  an  adult,  side  by  side,  no  foot-bones  or  any  other  parts  of  a  skeleton 
being  present.  These  bones  seemed  to  lie  in  a  grave,  judging  from  the  fact  that 
around  them  the  soil  was  somewhat  looser  than  elsewhere.  Incidentally,  it 
may  be  said  that  it  is  remarkable  for  what  length  of  time,  in  some  cases,  soil 
that  has  been  disturbed  gives  evidence  of  the  fact  through  a  certain  lack  of 
compactness. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  how  far  up  the  grave  had  extended,  it  having  been 
dug  down  upon  by  one  of  our  men.  With  the  bones  were:  a  mass  of  red  pigment 
(hematite),  on  which  rested  a  celt  of  slate,  about  4.5  inches  in  length;  part  of  a 
femur  of  some  lower  animal;1  a  tine  of  stag-horn;  a  triangular  flint  point,  3  inches 
in  length;  a  mass  of  manganese  ore,  about  1.5  inches  in  diameter,  ground  flat 
on  two  faces;  an  irregular  mass  of  limestone,  about  2.5  by  1.5  inches;  a  rude  disc 

1  This  Ijoiii'  went  astray  when  .submitted  for  identification. 


392  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

of  the  same  material,  about  2  inches  in  diameter,  pitted  on  opposite  sides;  a 
small  flint  drill. 

Probably  the  two  tibiae  (Burial  No.  7)  belonged  to  the  same  class  of  inter 
ments  as  did  some  of  the  others  found  in  this  mound.  There  is  a  chance,  how 
ever,  that  more  of  the  skeleton  was  present  in  the  grave  and  was  thrown  back 
by  the  digger,  inasmuch  as  four  arrowheads,  together,  were  found  2  feet  from 
the  tibiae  and  may  have  been  a  deposit  with  or  near  the  remainder  of  the  skeleton. 
This,  however,  is  very  unlikely,  unless  the  bones  were  hardly  more  than  pow 
der,  as  not  only  was  the  digger  watching  carefully,  but  our  entire  party  as 
well. 

In  the  mound,  apart  from  burials,  were  two  arrowheads  of  flint,  having  stems 
and  shoulders. 

On  parts  of  the  field  surrounding  the  mound  was  a  slight  sprinkling  of  midden- 
debris,  with  which  were  found  four  celts,  two  of  them  broken,  one  probably  of 
schistose  rock  and  showing  a  polished  surface  only  where  ground  on  its  rather 
graceful  cutting-edge.  There  came  also  from  this  site  a  conical  pestle  and  four 
arrowheads. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  THE  DAVIS  PLACE,  JAMES  COUNTY. 

A  few  yards  from  the  river-bank,  on  the  Davis  Place,  which  is  part  of  the 
old  Thatcher  Place  and  belongs  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Davis,  who  lives  somewhat  farther 
back  toward  the  hills,  is  a  small,  aboriginal  dwelling-site,  on  the  surface  of  which 
lay  some  debris.  At  one  end  of  the  site  was  a  slight  rise  which  seemed  to  have 
been  a  place  of  burial.  In  addition  to  bones  disturbed  by  cultivation  of  the  field, 
part  of  which  the  site  was,  five  burials  were  encountered,  as  follows: 

Burial  No.  1,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  SW.,  10  inches  down.  A 
rude,  undecorated  pot  lay  in  fragments  near  the  cranium. 

Burial  No.  2,  partly  flexed  on  the  left.  The  skull,  which  had  been  struck  by 
a  plow,  had  been  directed  N.  by  W. 

Burial  No.  3,  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  head  NE.,  18  inches  down.  Part  of 
a  celt  lay  at  the  inner  side  of  the  right  elbow,  while  under  the  left  arm  was  a 
pebble  much  resembling  a  celt  in  outline  and  probably  a  mortuary  substitute  for 
one. 

Burial  No.  4,  a  child,  15  inches  down.  On  the  chin,  around  the  neck,  and 
on  the  back  of  the  head  were  forty  discoidal  beads  of  shell  which  probably  had 
been  strung  around  the  neck  but  had  been  displaced  when  the  body  was  laid  in 
the  grave.  These  beads,  varying  in  size  between  1.9  inch  and  .8  inch  in 
diameter,  are  pierced  through  the  lesser  diameter,  so  that  when  strung  they 
were  face  to  face  and  were  found  by  us  in  rouleaux. 

Burial  No.  o,  the  trunk  on  the  back  and  thighs  extended  in  the  same  line, 
the  legs  drawn  close  to  the  thighs,  the  feet  to  the  right,  the  skull  ESE.,  14  inches 
down. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  393 

MOUND  AND  SITE  ON  THE  ELDRIDGE  PLACE,  JAMES  COUNTY. 

doing  about  one-half  mile  by  the  road  which  leads  from  Eldridge  Landing 
to  the  nearby  hills,  one  passes  the  remnant  of  a  mound  in  sight  on  the  right 
of  the  road,  in  a  cultivated  field  forming  part  of  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  F.  Eldridge, 
resident  on  the  place.  This  small  elevation  had  a  height  of  2.5  feet,  a  diameter 
of  about  50  feet.  Midden-debris  and  fragments  of  human  bones  lay  on  its  sur 
face. 

On  digging  out  most  of  the  central  part  of  this  mound  it  became  apparent 
there  had  been  much  previous  disturbance.  Scattered  bones,  including  several 
skulls,  were  found,  with  the  bones  being  two  celts,  one  given  to  Mr.  Eldridge, 
and  one  of  diabase,  5  inches  in  length,  fairly  well  made  though  the  cutting  edge 
is  not  squarely  conferred.  There  were  also  encountered  in  the  mound  six  skele 
tons,  the  deepest  28  inches  down,  three  of  children,  and  three  of  adults,  all 
closely  flexed  on  the  right,  heading  respectively  S.,  S.  by  W.,  ESE.  On  the 
surface  of  the  mound  lay  a  graceful,  triangular  arrowhead  of  flint. 

On  this  property,  in  the  level  ground,  Mr.  Eldridge  informed  us,  there  had 
been  plowed  up  recently  a  human  effigy  of  stone,  about  1.5  foot  in  height,  which 
a  tenant  had  taken  to  Chattanooga  and  was,  at  that  time,  in  that  city  endeavoring 
to  turn  the  find  to  advantage  by  displaying  it  in  a  room  to  the  public,  with  a 
charge  for  admission. 

The  Eldridge  place  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  one  on  Tennessee 
river  in  eastern  Tennessee  where  groups  of  stone  graves  of  the  typical  box- 
grave  variety  were  encountered  by  us,  though,  as  will  be  recalled,  a  single  box- 
grave  was  found  by  us  at  the  Bennett  Place. 

Over  various  fields  on  the  Eldridge  place  were  scattered  sparsely  evidence 
of  aboriginal  occupancy,  including  several  arrowheads  of  flint  and  one  of  quartz. 
A  short  distance  from  the  mound  already  described,  debris  of  this  kind  could 
be  seen  and  much  prodding  with  steel  rods  was  attempted,  but  the  ground 
being  naturally  hard,  and  dry  in  addition,  little  effective  work  could  be  done. 
However,  one  stone  grave,  7  inches  from  the  surface,  which  had  in  part  been 
plowed  away,  was  found.  The  grave,  20  inches  by  16  inches  by  9  inches  deep, 
had  a  flooring  of  slabs  (as  had  all  the  stone  graves  seen  by  us  at  this  place),  and 
contained  the  skeleton  of  a  child  closely  flexed  on  the  right.  About  300  yards 
ENE.  from  the  mound,  in  a  field  of  wheat,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  slabs  of  lime 
stone,  of  which  material  were  all  the  slabs  found  here,  lay  on  the  surface.  We 
were  informed  that  a  number  of  stone  graves  had  been  plowed  into  at  this  place, 
the  contents  of  some  of  which  had  been  examined.  We  were  also  informed, 
though  the  tidings  were  not  of  an  encouraging  nature,  that  in  all  the  graves 
opened  on  the  property,  nothing  had  been  found  other  than  bones. 

Three  stone  graves  were  found  here  by  the  use  of  the  rod. 

Burial  No.  1.  The  slabs  of  this  grave  had  been  displaced  and  the  bones  in 
the  main  removed. 

40  JOTJRN.  A.   N.  S.   PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


394  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

Burial  No.  2.  The  top  covering  of  this  grave  had  been  plowed  away  and  the 
sides  were  down  in  places.  Scattered  bones  were  present. 

Burial  No.  3.  The  top  and  some  of  the  slabs  forming  the  sides  of  this  grave 
had  been  plowed  away,  but  sufficient  remained  to  show  that  the  grave,  inside 
measurement,  had  been  22  inches  by  15  inches,  by  13  inches  deep.  On  the  floor 
in  the  center  of  the  grave,  lay  the  skull  of  an  adult,  immediately  surrounded  by 
the  smaller  bones  and  having  the  long-bones  carefully  piled  on  two  sides  of  it 
and  over  it.  The  pelvis  was  at  one  end  of  the  grave.  All  the  space  in  this 
grave  had  been  utilized,  and  it  was  jocularly  remarked  that  there  was  no  room 
for  artifacts. 

Two  hundred  yards,  approximately,  from  the  site  just  described,  in  an  ESE. 
direction,  in  an  adjacent  field  of  wheat,  was  another  small  cemetery,  on  the 
surface  of  which  lay  a  number  of  slabs  where  four  stone  graves  were  discovered 
by  sounding. 

Burial  No.  1,  6  inches  down,  was  35  inches  by  2  feet,  by  17  inches  deep,  inside 
measurement.  One  end  of  the  grave  consisted  of  a  single  slab;  the  other  end  was 
made  up  of  two  slabs  projecting  outward  and  forming  an  angle  in  which  the  head 
of  the  skeleton  rested.  The  sides  of  the  grave  consisted  of  one  slab  each,  a  small 
space  at  one  side  being  filled  with  fragments.  The  sides  stood  erect,  but  their 
upper  margins  were  very  uneven,  so  that  the  top,  consisting  of  four  slabs,  had 
fallen  in.  The  burial  lay  closely  flexed  on  the  right,  and,  for  good  measure, 
perhaps,  had  on  the  left  side,  against  the  slab,  the  skull  of  an  adult  with  some 
of  the  long-bones  of  its  skeleton,  and  a  femur  and  a  tibia  of  a  child.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  grave,  against  the  slab  also,  lay  a  femur  of  still  another  adult, 
making  five  full-sized  femora  in  the  grave. 

Burial  No.  2.  This  grave  had  been  disturbed  superficially.  The  burial 
was  made  up  of  detached  bones,  but  no  skull. 

Burial  No.  3,  a  grave  partly  plowed  away,  having  a  few  bones  of  the  skeleton 
of  a  child  remaining. 

Burial  No.  4.  The  top  slabs  of  this  grave,  which  was  2  feet  9  inches  by  1  foot 
11  inches,  by  11  inches  deep,  and  irregular  in  outline,  had  been  partly  plowed 
away,  without  disturbance,  however,  to  the  contents,  which  consisted  of  two 
bunched  burials,  each  with  a  skull. 

No  artifacts  were  with  any  burials  in  the  stone  graves  discovered  here  by 
us,  hence  the  record  of  the  place  was  maintained. 

MOUNDS  AND  SITES  ON  HIWASSEE  ISLAND,  MEIGS  COUNTY. 

Hiwassee  Island,1  the  property  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  D.  Bcnham,  who  reside 
upon  it,  is  about  two  miles  long  and  one  mile  wide. 

1  Cyrus  Thomas,  "  Catalogue  of  Prehistoric  Works,"  p.  209.  Hiwassee  Island  is  described  under 
the  name  of  Jolly's  Island,  which  it  probably  bore  at  one  time,  and  twenty-four  mounds  are  referred 
to  as  upon  it,  which  might  well  have  been  the  case,  long  ago,  when  the  island  was  visited  by  Mr.  J.  W. 
Emmert,  on  whose  information  the  statement  is  based. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  395 

This  island,  as  to  which  there  is  a  report  respecting  the  finding  of  a  stone 
image,  has  an  added  interest  as  being  the  starting  point  of  a  great  chain  of  groups 
of  comparatively  low,  conical  mounds  extending  up  Tennessee  river  to  Lenoir 
City,  a  distance  of  101  miles  by  water,  as  we  have  stated  in  the  Introduction. 

At  the  extreme  upper  end  of  the  island,  and  in  sight  from  most  of  it,  is  a 
mound  (A)  22.5  feet  in  height,2  which  probably  has  been  square  or  nearly  so 
as  to  its  basal  dimensions,  but  at  present,  through  wash  in  periods  of  high  water, 
its  outline  is  irregular.  Its  basal  diameter  is  136  feet,  58  feet  of  which  are 
under  the  summit-plateau,  which  is  flat,  wooded,  including  an  oak-tree  of  great 
age,  and  gives  no  indication  of  ever  having  been  under  cultivation. 

At  various  distances  apart,  extending  down  the  island,  not  in  line,  are  three 
mounds,  B,  C,  and  D,  while  near  together,  toward  the  lower  end  of  the  island, 
are  two  mounds,  E  and  F.  There  are  also  scattered  over  the  island  various 
humps  and  rises  and  parts  of  mounds  that  have  been  mostly  plowed  away. 
The  more  important  of  these  mounds  have  dimensions  as  follows: 

B,  elliptical;  10  feet  3  inches  in  height,  63  feet  by  48  feet  in  diameter. 

C,  circular;  height,    8  feet  2  inches;  diameter,  48  feet. 

D,  circular;  height  9  feet  2  inches;  diameter,  45  feet. 

E,  circular;  height,  5  feet  7  inches;  diameter,  30  feet, 

F,  circular;  height,  9  feet  10  inches;  diameter,  54  feet. 

As  the  owners  of  the  island  take  great  interest  in  archaeology,  and  desire,  so 
far  as  possible,  to  preserve  intact  the  mounds  now  on  their  island,  none  of  those 
herein  particularly  described  has  been  plowed  over  or  dug  into  to  any  appreciable 
extent,  excepting,  of  course,  the  one  (E)  investigated  by  us. 

Mounds  E  and  F  were  kindly  placed  at  our  disposal,  but  as  we  doubted  our 
ability  to  restore  the  larger  mound  to  its  original  condition  in  the  time  at  our 
command  (the  prevailing  low  water  of  the  river  having  been  a  great  source  of 
delay  to  us),  we  decided  to  devote  our  attention  to  Mound  E  exclusively. 

To  avoid  disturbing  trees,  an  excavation  10  feet  long  by  about  6  feet  wide 
was  made  somewhat  away  from  the  center.  The  mound  was  composed  of 
sandy  clay  of  a  brown  shade.  Thirty  inches  down  a  fragment  of  decaying  bone 
about  one  inch  in  length  was  encountered.  Other  than  this  fragment,  no  bones 
were  discovered  in  the  mound,  nor  was  any  fireplace  or  midden-debris  found 
in  the  digging. 

At  a  depth  of  5  feet  10  inches  an  indistinct  basal  line  was  discovered,  beneath 
which  was  undisturbed,  yellow  clay. 

Not  central  in  the  excavation,  but  nearly  so  as  to  the  base  of  the  mound, 
a  pit  was  discovered,  3  feet  by  3  feet  4  inches,  extending  one  foot  into  the  yellow 
clay  and  filled  with  the  brown  soil  of  the  mound.  How  far  this  pit  extended 

2  In  the  12th  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  p.  405,  this  mound  is  given 
:i-  :!.">  foot  in  height,  or  about  12  feet  more  than  the  correct  measurement.  We  would  not  refer  to  this 
error,  which  is  very  likely  typographical,  were  it  not  that  we  are  on  record  in  this  report  as  saying 
ilia  I  I  he  mound  at  Florence,  Ala.,  is  42  feet  in  height,  no  other  mound  on  the  river  approaching  such 
a  figure. 


396  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

into  the  body  of  the  mound,  if  at  all,  could  not  be  determined.  The  contents 
of  this  pit  were  removed  with  the  utmost  care  with  the  aid  of  a  trowel,  having 
in  view  the  possible  presence  of  a  burial,  but  not  even  the  crown  of  a  tooth  was 
unearthed. 

Together,  on  the  base  of  the  pit,  in  a  little  pile,  were:  a  hone  of  sandstone, 
elliptical  in  outline,  4.5  inches  by  3.5  inches;  a  pebble-hammer,  discoidal,  2.25 
inches  in  diameter;  a  triangular  point  of  flint,  about  2  inches  in  length;  an  object 
of  slate,  about  5  inches  long,  resembling  a  celt  but  having  a  rounded,  blunt 
edge  and  possessing  on  one  side,  at  one  end,  a  lustre,  as  if  conferred  by  wear; 
a  similar  object  of  slate,  slightly  more  than  3  inches  long,  having  lost  a  part  of 
one  end  through  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  make  a  perforation,  and  having  a 
depression  below  the  fracture  where  another  hole  had  been  attempted;  still 
another  object  of  slate,  of  the  type  of  the  foregoing,  3.3  inches  in  length,  this 
one,  however,  having  a  perforation  at  one  end. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Mound  A  are  extensive  dwelling-sites  with  con 
siderable  debris  on  the  surface;  but  this  being  pasture  land,  the  sites  were  not 
subject  to  investigation.  Mr.  Benham  informed  us,  however,  that  some  time  ago 
his  son  and  a  companion  had  dxig  extensively  in  the  sites,  finding  many  burials 
with  accompanying  artifacts.  A  portion  of  the  objects  discovered  was  inspected 
by  us  at  Mr.  Bcnham's  home  on  the  island,  and  while  the  objects  are  of  much 
interest  as  illustrating  the  aboriginal  culture  that  prevailed  on  the  is  and,  the 
collection  contained  nothing  notable,  the  pottery  being  of  inferior  ware  and  of 
inferior  form,  while  no  object  of  flint  of  exceptional  interest  was  present.  The 
only  engraved  shell  gorget  in  the  collection  bore  the  triskcle  surrounded  by  the 
conventional  rattlesnake.  Glass  beads  and  objects  of  brass  also  were  present. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  ARMSTRONG  FERRY,  MEIGS  COUNTY. 

Mounds  on  property  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Armstrong,  living  near  them.  Two  about 
one  mile  below  Armstrong  Ferry,  200  yards  apart  approximately;  one  about  one 
mile  above  the  ferry:  all  in  open  fields.  The  dimensions  estimated  by  our  agent, 
an  expert  judge  of  the  matter,  are,  respectively,  basal  diameter  40  feet,  50  feet, 
40  feet;  height,  6  feet,  9  feet,  and  8  feet.  Permission  refused. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  MOUTH  OF  MUD  CREEK,  RHEA  COUNTY. 
Mound  at  the  lower  side  of  Mud  creek,  one-half  mile  NNE.  from  the  mouth, 
and  100  yards  N.  from  Mud  creek,  40  feet  by  40  feet  by  6  feet.  Three  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  N.  from  the  first  mound,  in  open  field,  is  another,  40  feet  by  40 
feet  by  7  feet.  At  the  river,  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  a  campsite. 
Mounds  visited  by  our  agent  and  dimensions  estimated  by  him.  Owner,  Mr. 
Summerfield  Fisher,  resident  on  the  property.  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUNDS   NEAR    GlLLESPIE    LANDING,    RHEA    COUNTY. 

Near  the  river,  on  the  Gillespie  Place,  belonging  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Gillespie  living 
about  1.5  mile  back  from  the  landing,  are  two  mounds  about  one  mile  apart, 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   OX   TENNESSEE   RIVKI5.  397 

5  feet  and  (>  feet  in  height,  respectively,  and  each  about  40  feet  in  diameter, 
according  to  the  estimate  of  our  agent.     Permission  refused. 

MOUND  NEAR  HOYAL  FERRY,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

About  one-quarter  mile  westerly  from  Hoyal  Ferry,  in  a  cultivated  field,  on 
property  belonging  to  Mrs.  Harriet  W.  Hoyal,  of  Spring  City,  Term.,  is  a  mound 
5  feet  9  inches  in  height  and  35  feet  in  diameter.  The  mound  had  been  trenched 
into  from  two  sides  and  some  of  the  margin  had  been  plowed  away,  but  much 
of  the  mound  still  remained  intact. 

Nearly  centrally  we  put  down  a  trench  12  feet  6  inches  in  length,  and  averaging 
about  7  feet  in  width.  A  short  distance  down  were  fragments  of  human  bones 
in  the  old  digging,  and  a  knife  or  an  arrowhead,  of  flint,  also  a  triangular  point 
of  black  flint,  about  3.5  inches  in  length. 

The  digging  continued  through  the  brown  soil  which  composed  the  mound 
without  reaching  fire  place  or  burial,  until  at  a  depth  slightly  more  than  6  feet 
small  parts  of  a  human  skull  were  discovered,  with  remains  of  teeth.  At  a  dis 
tance  from  where  the  skull  had  been,  with  no  bones  intervening,  were  decaying 
fragments  of  two  femora,  side  by  side,  the  space  between  which  and  the  skull 
being  about  what  would  be  expected  to  accommodate  the  remains  of  the  trunk. 
Farther  along  no  trace  of  leg-bones  or  of  the  feet  were  discovered.  Near  the 
skull,  or  what  was  left  of  it,  was  considerable  red  pigment  and  the  following 
objects  grouped  together:  two  piercing  implements  of  bone,  in  fragments;  a 
disintegrating  mass,  probably  what  remained  of  a  hoe  of  sandstone;  a  small 
triangular  point  of  flint;  a  graceful  arrowhead,  resembling  a  drill,  also  of  flint; 
a  celt  of  shale,  about  4.3  inches  in  length;  a  tool  of  shale,  of  the  kind  found  by 
us  in  the  mound  at  Hiwassee  Island,  4.5  inches  long  and  1.4  inch  in  width,  having 
a  curved,  blunt  edge  at  one  end  and  a  perforation  about  .75  inch  from  the  other 
end.  We  speak  advisedly  of  this  implement  as  a  tool,  since  the  blunt  edge  gives 
evidence  of  the  fact,  being  rubbed  and  striated  on  half  of  each  side. 

At  a  depth  of  6  feet  6  inches,  compact,  yellow  clay  was  encountered,  evidently 
previously  undisturbed.  No  base-line  was  distinguishable*,  and  the  bottom  of 
the  mound  probably  had  been  somewhere  between  the  yellow  clay  and  where  the 
burial  was  found. 

Three  intelligent  boys,  sons  of  the  tenant  cultivating  this  place,  said  that  a 
man  traveling  down  the  river  in  a  house-boat  in  search  of  antiquities  (the  agent 
of  a  dealer,  no  doubt)  recently  had  visited  the  place  and  had  bought  from  them 
all  the  "Injun  spikes"  they  could  find  for  him  on  the  surface.  They  added  the 
significant  information  that  the  man  also  was  acquiring  quantities  of  fragments 
of  flint. 

MOUNDS  ox  THE  SPENCE  PLACE,  RHEA  COTNTY. 

About  one-quarter  mile  back  from  the  river,  on  the  Spence  Place,  Mr.  Albion 
Spence,  owner  and  resident  thereon,  on  the  beginning  of  the  slope  of  the  hills, 
some  in  sight  from  the  river,  others  masked  by  light  woods  at  the  time  of  our 


398  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

visit,  are  six  mounds.  These  mounds,  parallel  to  the  river  in  an  irregular  line, 
seemed  to  be  from  5  to  9  feet  in  height  and  from  30  to  50  feet  in  diameter  of 
base,  the  smaller  ones  having  been  under  cultivation  and  doubtless  reduced  in 
size.  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUND  ON  THE  JONES  PLACE,  MEIGS  COUNTY. 

About  one-half  mile  in  a  straight  line  from  the  landing  at  the  Jones  Place, 
from  which  it  is  visible,  was  a  mound  5  feet  2  inches  in  height  and  37  feet  in 
diameter,  on  property  belonging  to  Mr.  J.  P.  Heglcr,  of  Decatur,  Tenn. 

The  mound,  in  a  cultivated  field,  did  not  seem  to  have  been  plowed  over, 
and  the  presence  of  large  trees  upon  it  prove  that  no  cultivation  could  have 
taken  place  there  for  a  long  period. 


. 


FIG.  97. — Spearhead  of  flint.     Jones  Place,  Tenn.     (About  full  size.) 

Previous  to  our  coming,  a  trench  about  8  feet  across  had  been  carried  into 
the  mound,  but  digging  had  been  discontinued  some  distance  from  the  center. 

A  central  excavation  11  feet  by  12  feet  was  sunk  by  us,  which  included  but  a 
small  part  of  the  previous  digging.  Fourteen  inches  from  the  surface  a  mass 
of  limestone  was  reached  which  projected  above  a  number  of  other  masses— 
not  slabs — with  which  it  was,  and  at  a  depth  of  3  feet  5  inches  was  a  group  of 
similar  masses  of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  some  having  thrice  the  bulk  of  a  human 
head  or  more,  some  much  smaller.  These  two  groups  evidently  had  been 
arranged  with  some  definite  design  as  to  shape,  but  the  upper  group  had  been 
disturbed  by  an  excavation  of  which  there  was  no  evidence  on  the  surface  of 
the  mound,  and  in  which  we  found  a  fragment  of  a  glazed  jar,  while  part  of  the 
lower  group  had  been  cut  away  by  the  trench  we  have  described.  Consequently, 
we  were  unable  to  form  a  definite  idea  of  the  original  arrangment  of  the  masses. 

The  loamy  material  of  which  the  mound  was  made,  which  lay  under  these 
masses  of  rock,  was  examined  by  us  with  the  utmost  care  down  into  the  yellow, 
undisturbed  clay  which  underlay  the  mound  at  a  depth  of  5  feet  10  inches.  No 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER,  399 

trace  of  bones  or  of  artifacts  was  discovered,  however,  nor  was  then;  any  sign 
of  a  pit  extending  below  the  base. 

Off  at  one  side  of  our  excavation — the  side  farthest  from  the  masses  of  rock 
a  grave  6  feet  9  inches  long  by  4  feet  wide,  the  major  axis  about  due  E.  and  \\ '.. 
was  discovered,  the  brown  loam  of  the  mound  extending  into  the  undisturbed 
underlying  clay  to  a  depth  of  about  1  foot  9  inches.  On  the  base  of  the  grave 
were  particles  of  charcoal,  and  on  both  sides,  but  not  at  the  ends,  were  masses 
of  charcoal  and  ashes,  as  if  there  had  been  a  fire  preliminary  to  the  placing  of  a 
burial  and  the  coals  and  ashes  had  been  swept  to  each  side  to  make  way  for  it. 

The  entire  contents  of  the  grave  was  slowly  sliced  away  with  a  trowel  and 
resulted  in  the  discovery  of  traces  of  leg-bones,  and  remains  of  two  femora, 
apparently  in  anatomical  order  and  not  visibly  affected  by  fire.  Alongside  one 
of  the  femora  was  a  graceful  weapon  of  flint  (Fig.  97),  notched  on  each  side  for 
hafting,  which  we  recognized  to  be  of  a  rare  type.  Dr.  II.  M.  AYhelpley  writes 
us:  "The  broad,  notched  flint  is  uncommon  in  shape  and  the  notches  are  rare 
as  to  position.  I  do  not  find  in  my  collection  a  piece  which  1  can  call  similar." 
Mr.  Charles  ('.  Willoughby  kindly  has  sent  us  a  tracing  of  a  much  smaller  point 
than  ours,  but  of  the  same  type,  which  is  in  the  Peabody  Museum  collection.  It 
came  from  Chichen  Itza,  Yucatan. 

MOUND  ON  THE  MCDONALD  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

Mound  in  sight  from  landing  on  the  McDonald  Place;  owner,  Mr.  Joseph 
McDonald,  Dayton,  Term.  Height  and  diameter  of  mound,  respectively, 
7  feet  and  50  feet  (estimated).  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  COOK  LANDING,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

On  the  estate  of  Mr.  M.  G.  McDonald,  residing  nearby,  are  three  mounds 
in  a  cultivated  field,  in  line  and  but  a  short  distance  apart,  all  in  sight  from 
Cook  Landing,  and  another  mound  in  the  same  field,  nearly  half  a  mile  easterly 
from  the  northernmost  mound  of  the  three. 

Mound  A.  The  southernmost,  3  feet  3  inches  in  height,  50  feel  in  diameter, 
much  spread  by  cultivation.  A  hole  12  feet  by  12  feet  was  put  down,  reaching 
a  base-line  at  a  depth  of  4  feet  and  coming  upon  traces  and  fragments  of  bone 
at  various  depths. 

Mound  B,  a  remnant  next  in  order,  1  foot  9  inches  in  height  and  40  feet  in 
diameter.  Digging  came  upon  parts  of  a  skull. 

Mound  C,  slightly  more  than  7  feet  in  height,  with  a  diameter  of  42  feet, 
had  never  been  under  cultivation,  but  unfortunately  it  had  received  (he  atten 
tion  of  previous  diggers  who  had  left  a  circular  hole  centrally  in  the  mound,  about 
6  feet  in  diameter  and  reaching  almost  to  the  base.  In  the  side  of  the  mound 
also  had  been  an  excavation  about  9  feet  by  7  feet,  probably  reaching  to  the 
level  ground.  A  central  excavation  12  feet  square  was  carried  by  us  to  a  depth 
of  7  feet  5  inches,  where  undisturbed  yellow  clay  was  encountered,  the  base  of 


400  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

our  excavation  being-  thoroughly  cleaned  out  in  a  vain  search  for  pits.  On  the 
base,  however,  was  some  charcoal  which  we  at  first  thought  might  indicate  the 
presence  of  a  burial  beneath,  but  the  material  lay  on  the  same  yellow  clay  which 
was  under  the  mound. 

One  foot  from  the  surface  was  a  skeleton  much  decayed,  lying  partly  flexed 
to  the  left.  Twenty  inches  down  were  some  bones  disturbed  by  the  previous 
hole  in  the  center.  At  a  depth  of  5  feet  9  inches  lay  a  decaying  skull  alone. 
A  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the  left  lay  at  a  depth  of  6  feet  4  inches. 

Two  feet  down,  together,  were  two  bowls  of  inferior,  porous  ware,  without 
decoration.  No  human  remains  were  found  near  this  pottery,  but  possibly 
they  were  removed  during  the  former  excavation. 

Dissociated  in  the  soil  was  a  carefully-smoothed  celt,  6  inches  in  length, 
without  a  cutting  edge. 

Mound  D,  evidently  long  under  cultivation,  having  a  circular  outline  of  base, 
had  a  diameter  of  100  feet,  a  height  of  6  feet.  Regarded  from  the  lower  part 
of  the  slope  on  which  it  is,  the  mound  seems  considerably  higher.  As  it  had 
become  evident  to  us  that  all  the  mounds  on  our  list  could  not  be  dug  into  in  a 
season's  work,  an  investigation  of  this  mound  was  not  attempted.  Around  it 
had  been  an  extensive  dwelling-site,  judging  from  the  dark  soil  and  from  some 
midden-debris  on  the  surface,  on  which  several  arrowheads  and  discs  of  pottery 
and  of  stone  were  picked  up.  Considerable  digging  in  this  site  came  upon  one 
skeleton,  which  lay  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  21  inches  down. 

MOUNDS    NEAR    VlNIARD    LANDING,    RfiEA    COUNTY. 

Viniard  Landing  is  about  one  mile  above  Cook  Landing,  and  is  also  on 
property  of  Mr.  M.  G.  McDonald,  whose  mounds  at  Cook  Landing  have  just 
been  described.  We  learned  that  Mr.  McDonald  hitherto  had  objected  to  any 
digging  into  his  mounds,  not  desiring  to  have  them  disturbed  by  other  than 
scientific  exploration.  All  of  Mr.  McDonald's  mounds  were  cordially  placed  at 
our  disposal,  a  courtesy  which  the  Academy  greatly  appreciates. 

About  one-quarter  mile  following  the  road  in  from  Viniard  Landing,  which 
there  traverses  a  cultivated  field,  in  the  verge  of  woods,  all  but  one  visible  from 
the  landing  when  foliage  does  not  intervene,  are  six  mounds,  three  near  together 
and  forming  a  triangle  (A,  B,  C),  and  three  others  (D,  E,  F)  a  short  distance 
apart  and  comparatively  near  the  three  mounds  just  described.  About  one- 
quarter  mile  NE.  from  Mounds  E  and  F  are  two  others  (G,  H)  in  a  cultivated 
field  and  having  themselves  been  plowed  over  and  planted  upon. 

Mound  A,  the  first  visible  going  upstream  and  the  most  westerly  of  the  tri 
angle,  was  slightly  less  than  5  feet  in  height  and  35  feet  across  its  circular  base. 
But  little  previous  digging  had  been  attempted  in  it. 

An  excavation  12  feet  by  14  feet  reached  yellow  clay  at  a  depth  of  4  feet; 
presumably  wash  of  water  had  removed  soil  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  from  around 
the  mound. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  401 

Twenty-five  inches  down  was  a  skeleton,  much  decayed,  partly  Hexed  on  the 
left,  the  head  W.,  and  in  another  part  of  the  excavation  the  skeleton  of  an  adoles 
cent  lay  partly  flexed  on  the  right,  the  head  S.  One  of  these  burials  seemed  to 
he  in  a  grave  and  the  other  probably  was  also.  It  was  dug  down  upon  by  one 
of  our  men  before  this  question  was  determined. 

About  centrally  in  the  base  of  the  mound  was  a  pit,  4  feet  in  length,  extending 
6  inches  into  the  yellow,  undisturbed  clay.  The  width^of  this  pit  was  not 
ascertained,  as  the  margin  of  the  grave  was  partly  dug  away  before  its  presence 
was  noted.  Though  the  digging  was  closely  watched,  it  is  possible  that  part 
of  the  burial  was  removed,  as  the  remains,  of  which  only  a  skull  was  found,  were 
hardly  more  than  a  trace. 

Mound  B,  110  feet  about  E.  from  Mound  A,  9  feet  9  inches  in  height,  60  feet 
across  its  circular  base.  No  sign  of  previous  digging. 

Mound  C,  100  feet  NE.  by  E.  from  Mound  A,  12  feet  in  height,  base  circular, 
diameter,  73  feet.  A  large  trench  had  been  dug  in  from  the  eastern  side. 

Mound  D,  about  270  feet  E.  by  N.  from  Mound  B;  height,  6  feet;  diameter 
of  circular  base,  42  feet.  This  mound  had  been  dug  into  to  a  slight  extent. 
A  large  tree  on  top  and  others  on  the  slope  made  the  mound  a  mass  of  roots. 

Mound  E,  50  feet  NE.  from  Mound  B;  height,  9  feet;  diameter  of  circular 
base,  50  feet.  It  is  encircled  by  a  well-defined  ditch  slightly  more  than  one 
foot  deep.  The  mound  forms  a  very  symmetrical  cone,  slightly  truncated. 
A  trench  had  been  dug  in  from  the  eastern  side  prior  to  our  visit. 

Mound  F,  120  feet  N.  from  Mound  E;  height  5  feet  4  inches;  elliptical  base, 
40  feet  by  48  feet.  Two  small  previously-made  holes  were  noted,  one  in  the 
summit,  the  other  in  the  side. 

A  hole  12  feet  by  12  feet  was  sunk  by  us,  which  soon  passed  beyond  the  small 
hole  referred  to  and  reached  yellow  clay,  which  was  encountered  5  feet  2  inches 
below  the  top  of  the  mound.  No  sign  of  burial  or  of  artifact  was  encountered 
in  the  body  of  the  mound,  which  was  made  up  of  two  layers,  the  upper  one  of 
yellow,  loamy  clay,  about  2  feet  thick,  and  the  lower  one  of  brown  clay  con 
taining  some  sand  about  3  feet  in  thickness.  No  pit  had  cut  into  the  light- 
yellow  layer  from  the  surface,  nor  had  any  grave  originating  in  that  layer  ex 
tended  into  the  brown  stratum  below  it. 

The  base  of  the  mound  was  scraped  clean  by  us,  showing  yellow,  undisturbed 
clay  all  over,  except  at  one  place  where  a  grave  7  feet  6  inches  long  by  4  feet 
2  inches  wide  extended  one  foot  into  the  otherwise  undisturbed  soil.  This 
grave,  which  was  not  central  in  the  base,  but  commenced  at  about  the  center 
and  lay  ENE.  and  WNW.  (the  same  direction  as  the  major  axis  of  the  mound), 
the  eastern  end  being  the  one  away  from  the  center,  had  been  dug  only  from  the 
original  surface  down  and  then  the  mound  had  been  built  upon  it.  This  was 
evident  because  at  each  side  of  the  grave  was  piled  the  yellow  clay  dug  from  it 
originally,  while  the  grave  itself  was  filled  with  the  brown  material  composing 
the  lower  stratum  of  the  mound. 

41  JOUKN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA..  VOL.  XVI. 


402  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

On  the  upper  part  of  the  grave,  somewhat  above  its  base,  at  one  side,  was  a 
deposit  of  charcoal,  and  a  small  amount  of  the  same  material  was  at  one  end  of 
the  grave,  also  near  its  upper  surface.  In  neither  instance  did  the  clay  near  the 
charcoal  show  any  mark  of  fire. 

The  entire  contents  of  the  grave  were  removed  by  hand  with  a  trowel,  the 
material  being  carefully  sliced  away  under  critical  examination.  Near  the 
middle  of  the  grave  was  the  faintest  trace  of  what  may  have  been  a  small  part 
of  a  single  bone.  No  artifact  was  present. 

Mound  G,  10  feet  3  inches  high,  65  feet  across  the  circular  base.  A  sur 
prisingly  symmetrical  mound,  and  especially  so  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  has 
been  under  cultivation.  No  previous  digging  was  apparent. 

Mound  H,  138  feet  ESE.  from  Mound  G,  7  feet  high,  50  feet  in  diameter 
of  base.  No  former  digging  was  noticeable. 

A  hole  12  feet  by  12  feet  was  put  down.  The  mound  differed  from  others 
at  this  place  in  that,  especially  in  the  lower  parts,  it  contained  many  irregular 
local  deposits  of  material  of  a  darker  color  than  was  that  of  the  rest  of  the  mound. 
These  deposits  were  not  in  layers,  but  seemed  to  have  been  brought  from  a  place 
other  than  where  the  rest  of  the  soil  had  been  taken,  perhaps  from  a  swamp  which 
is  nearby.  In  digging  from  above  these  deposits  of  dark  material  were  mis 
leading,  as  they  seemed  to  indicate  the  presence  of  graves. 

Burial  No.  1.  In  a  grave  apparently  was  a  burial  32  inches  down,  at  full 
length  on  the  back,  head  W.  by  S.  At  the  left  of  the  pelvis  was  a  flint  knife 
with  shoulders,  a  considerable  part  of  whose  pointed  end  had  been  broken  off. 
The  margin  of  the  fracture  had  been  chipped  to  confer  a  cutting  edge.  Five 
fragments  of  the  columella  of  a  conch,  much  decayed,  were  at  the  neck,  two  at 
the  left  elbow,  one  at  the  left  hand. 

Burial  No.  2.  A  skeleton  closely  flexed  on  the  left,  head  S.,  was  5  feet  10 
inches  down,  seemingly  in  a  grave. 

Burial  No.  3,  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head  WNW.;  depth 
7  feet. 

Burial  No.  4,  at  one  corner  of  the  excavation,  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the 
head  SW.  by  W.,  very  badly  decayed.  At  the  pelvis  of  the  skeleton  was  a  small 
arrowhead  of  flint.  This  burial  lay  at  a  depth  of  about  8  feet,  and  probably 
was  on  the  original  surface,  but  when  it  was  discovered  heavy  rain  was  falling 
and  had  been  for  some  time.  The  base  of  the  excavation  was  a  mass  of  mud 
and  remained  so  during  the  time  our  work  in  the  mound  continued.  Conse 
quently  determination  as  to  the  exact  base-line  of  the  mound  was  not  possible. 

Incidentally,  it  may  be  asked  why  digging  is  not  postponed  in  mounds  when 
conditions  arise  interfering  with  thorough  investigation.  Postponement  in 
investigation  of  mounds  in  a  region  where  visitors  are  numerous  is  inadvisable, 
especially  when  the  work  is  nearing  the  base,  as  outsiders  are  likely  to  finish  the 
digging  in  one's  absence. 

Burial  No.  5,  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  SW. ;  depth,  8  feet. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  403 

Dissociated  in  the  mound  were  two  or  three  small  arrowheads  or  knives,  of 

flint. 

MOUND  ON  THE  LUTY  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

The  Lntv  Plaee  adjoins  that  of  Mr.  McDonald  and  belongs  to  Mrs.  James 
Luty,  of  Rhea  Springs,  Term.  This  mound,  in  view  from  the  landing,  has  been 
plowed  out  of  shape  by  long-continued  cultivation.  Its  height  at  the  time  of 
our  visit  (when  it  was  covered  with  a  growing  crop)  was  6.5  feet;  its  diameter, 
about  90  feet.  The  obstacle  to  investigation  encountered  at  this  place,  namely, 
the  presence  of  growing  grain,  while  resulting  in  no  inconvenience  in  this  instance 
(as  the  mound,  which  seemed  to  have  had  a  flat  to]),  presumably  had  been  a 
domiciliary  one,  and,  moreover,  seemed  practically  to  form  part  of  a  group 
we  had  no  desire  to  expend  additional  time  upon),  was  one  we  had  to  face  from 
this  time,  about  April  first,  until  the  end  of  the  season. 

MOUND  ON  THE  KEYFORVER  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

On  the  crest  of  a  low  hill  overlooking  the  river,  on  the  verge  of  woods,  is  a 
mound  on  the  property  of  Mrs.  Ellen  Kyle,  who  lives  upon  it,  which  is  visible 
from  the  water  when  the  foliage  does  not  obstruct  the  view.  The  mound, 
never  under  cultivation,  on  a  slope,  depends  considerably,  as  to  its  height,  on 
the  point  from  which  measurements  are  taken,  one  about  midway  on  the  slope 
giving  an  altitude  of  4  feet  8  inches.  The  diameter  of  base  is  45  feet. 

A  hole,  10  feet  by  10  feet,  showed  the  mound  to  be  of  yellow  clay  of  almost 
the  same  color  as  the  underlying  ground.  A  line,  seemingly  that  of  the  base, 
was  encountered  at  a  depth  of  4  feet,  and  on  it  a  small  amount  of  charcoal  was 
found.  No  artifacts  or  bones  were  discovered,  though  the  bones,  presumably, 
had  disappeared  through  decay. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  KIMBROUGH  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

The  Kimbrough  Place,  belonging  to  Mr.  R.  B.  Kimbrough,  who  lives  upon 
it,  is  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  river,  going  up,  opposite  Piney  Island. 

Shortly  after  passing  the  lower  end  of  the  island  a  remnant  of  a  mound  is 
visible  in  a  cultivated  field  on  the  Kimbrough  Place,  possibly  a  foot  in  height 
and  40  feet  in  diameter.  From  it,  we  were  informed  by  Mr.  C.  C.  Brown,  who 
lives  nearby,  two  similar  objects  of  copper,  one  of  which  subsequently  was  lost, 
were  plowed  up  by  his  sons.  The  other,  obtained  by  us  from  Mr.  Brown,  is  a 
ceremonial  axe,  such  as  were  found  by  us  in  considerable  numbers  at  Mound- 
ville,  Ala.,  and  especially  resembles  those  referred  to  in  a  previous  report.1 
These  ceremonial  axes,  made  of  native  copper  hammered  in  the  usual  way,  on 
which  parts  of  the  wooden  handles  in  some  instances  remained  in  place  when 
found,  resemble  long  chisels  with  flaring  edges,  the  edges,  however,  bearing 
ceremonial  notches. 

'"Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of  the  Black  Warrior  River,"  .lourn.  Acad.  Xut.  Sci.  Phila., 
Vol.  XIII,  pp.  154,  157,  162,  163,  173;  Figs.  28A,  B,  33,  61. 


404  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

The  axe  obtained  from  Mr.  Brown,  which  had  been  badly  battered  since 
its  discovery,  is  10  inches  in  length  and  slightly  more  than  .25  inch  in  maximum 
thickness.  The  flaring  blade  (on  which  traces  of  notches  are  still  visible)  is 
about  1.5  inch  in  width,  while  the  opposite  end  is  .5  inch  wide.  The  weight  is 
twelve  ounces. 

An  employee  of  Air.  Kimbrough,  the  owner  of  the  property,  also  plowed 
from  this  mound,  according  to  Mr.  Kimbrough,  a  ceremonial  axe  of  native 
copper,  of  the  same  kind  as  the  other,  which  Mr.  Kimbrough  values  highly  and 
has  preserved  in  perfect  condition.  The  length  of  the  axe,  which  we  carefully 
inspected,  is  16.75  inches;  its  maximum  thickness  about  .2  inch.  The  minimum 
width,  which  is  at  the  end  opposite  the  blade,  is  .17  inch.  At  the  union  of  the 
flaring  blade  with  the  body  of  the  axe  the  width  is  .9  inch;  and  that  of  the  blade, 
on  which  are  thirteen  notches,  is  1.5  inch. 

Later  we  saw  a  son  of  Mr.  Brown  who  showed  us  a  bicave  of  quartz,  with 
central  perforation,  very  symmetrical,  about  6  inches  in  diameter.  This  hand 
some  specimen,  which  we  were  told  had  been  plowed  from  the  mound  from 
which  the  ceremonial  axes  were  taken,  was  in  use  as  a  soap  dish. 

We  also  obtained  from  Mr.  Brown,  as  having  come  from  the  place,  though 
there  seems  some  uncertainty  as  to  just  what  part  of  it,  a  small  celt,  a  grooved 
axe,  and  what  has  been  called  an  anvil-stone,  similar  to  one  figured  by  Thruston.1 

Farther  along,  in  an  adjacent  field  on  the  Kimbrough  Place,  is  a  mound  in 
sight  from  the  landing,  which  has  been  largely  plowed  away.  Its  height  was  3 
feet  4  inches;  its  diameter  of  base,  47  feet.  On  the  surface  are  many  slabs  of 
fossiliferous  limestone  and  some  fragments  of  human  bones. 

This  mound,  which  was  made  up  of  clay  mixed  with  sand,  was  suitable  for 
the  use  of  a  sounding-rod,  which  was  freely  employed.  In  addition,  trial-holes 
were  put  down  throughout  much  of  its  higher  parts.  Fragments  of  a  skull 
were  found  in  two  instances,  near  the  surface. 

At  a  depth  of  13  inches  was  a  stone  grave  differing  from  those  found  by 
us  so  far,  in  that  the  burial  lay  between  horizontal  placements  of  slabs  but 
having  none  on  the  sides  and  at  the  ends.  A  much-decayed  skeleton  lay  closely 
flexed  to  the  right,  the  head  WNW.,  the  right  forearm  flexed  up  to  the  shoulder, 
the  left  forearm  lying  across  the  body.  On  the  skull  was  a  small  slab  of  lime 
stone  (all  slabs  from  this  place  were  of  this  material),  and  a  long,  narrow  slab 
lay  across  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax.  A  third  slab  was  over  the  pelvis  and 
lower  extremities. 

Beneath  the  skull  and  the  upper  part  of  the  thorax  lay  a  slab;  another  had 
been  placed  beneath  the  trunk;  a  third  was  under  the  pelvis  and  extremities. 

All  the  slabs  in  connection  with  this  burial  had  been  carelessly  placed,  there 
having  been  no  attempt  to  avoid  leaving  open  spaces,  of  which  there  were  a 
number. 

In  two  places  in  this  mound  were  two  lines  of  slabs  arranged  in  a  slanting 

1  Op.  cit.,  Fig.  172. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  405 

position.  Those,  beyond  doubt,  had  formed  parts  of  graves  of  a  kind  we  found 
in  another  mound  at  this  place.  The  graves  in  the  mound  under  description 
had  been  largely  plowed  away.  No  trace  of  bones  remained  near  the  slabs. 

On  the  line  between  the  Kimbrough  Place  and  the  property  of  Mr.  ('.  ('. 
Brown,  which  adjoins  it,  is  a  mound  visible  from  the  river-bank.  This  mound, 
about  evenly  divided  by  a  fence,  has  a  diameter  of  about  45  feet.  The  height 
of  the  southern  half,  which  is  on  the  Kimbrough  Place  and  has  not  been  under 
cultivation,  is  about  5  feet  8  inches.  The  other  portion,  long  plowed  over, 
and  covered  with  growing  grain  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  is  considerably  lower. 

Our  investigation  was  first  directed  to  the  southern  side  of  the  mound,  on 
which  were  some  trees  of  rapid  growth  (poplar)  and  from  which  a  marginal  part 
had  been  plowed  away,  though,  as  we  have  stated,  this  side  of  the  mound  had 
not  been  plowed  over.  Many  slabs  which  had  been  unearthed  in  the  plowing, 
lay  around. 

In  an  excavation  in  the  middle  of  this  southern  half  of  the  mound  we  found 
a  pile  of  bones  in  no  anatomical  order,  at  a  depth  of  14  inches,  which  may  have 
boon  a  bunched  burial  or  an  aboriginal  disturbance,  as  near  it,  but  lower,  was  a 
stone  grave  without  slabs  at  the  sides,  ends,  or  bottom. 

Twenty-eight  inches  down  was  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the  left,  the  head 
W.,  the  partial  flexion  of  the  remains  causing  the  knees  to  project  from  the  line 
of  the  body.  Above1  the  skeleton  had  been  placed  an  oblong  arrangement  of  two 
thicknesses  of  flat  fragments  of  limestone  in  line,  all  small  or  of  moderate  size, 
from  a  side  of  which,  at  right  angles,  was  a  projection  of  similar  slabs  arranged 
to  cover  the  knees,  the  entire  covering,  however,  being  in  excess  of  the  area 
required  to  protect  the  skeleton. 

Also  in  the  southern  part  of  the  mound,  22  inches  down,  lying  partly  flexed 
to  the  right,  the  head  NW.,  was  a  skeleton  with  no  slabs  in  association. 

Not  far  from  the  other  was  an  interesting  form  of  stone  grave  in  the  shape 
of  a  right  angle  composed  of  a  single  thickness  of  slabs  unevenly  placed.  These 
lay  nearly  3  feet  from  the  surface,  above  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  partly  flexed 
to  the  right.  Covering  this  skeleton,  or  nearly  doing  so,  for  part  of  the  skull  was 
exposed,  was  one  side  of  the  angular  grave,  having  a  length  of  42  inches,  a  width 
of  22  inches.  A  head-piece  had  been  placed  about  vertically.  Slanting  down 
from  this  head-piece  was  a  slab  covering  most  of  the  skull,  the  rest  of  the  skeleton 
being  protected  by  two  other  slabs  in  a  horizontal  position. 

From  the  head  of  the  line  of  slabs  was  an  extension  at  right  angles,  2  feet  in 
length  and  17  inches  in  width,  made  up  of  single  slabs.  The  purpose  for  this 
extension  was  not  apparent,  inasmuch  as  no  part  of  the  skeleton  projected  beyond 
the  line  of  its  covering  slabs,  (he  part  of  the  skull  exposed  being  so  through  an 
irregularity  in  the  shape  of  the  slab  immediately  above  it.  No  sign  of  bones 
or  of  artifacts  lay  beneath  this  extension. 

In  the  northwestern,  or  cultivated,  part  of  the  mound,  was  a  burial  of  a  new 
variety  so  far  as  our  experience  along  the  Tennessee  extends.  It  is  interesting 


406  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

to  compare,  however,  the  description  of  an  almost  identical  form  of  stone  grave 
found  in  Ohio,1  the  illustration  given  therewith  very  closely  resembling  the 
grave  discovered  by  us. 

Near  the  base,  yet  not  far  from  the  surface,  as  it  was  away  from  the  center 
of  the  mound,  was  a  rude  flooring  of  slabs,  horizontally  placed  except  two, 
which  were  upright,  having  been  thrust  in  to  fill  small  gaps.  This  flooring, 
which  was  roughly  circular,  was  about  6  feet  in  diameter.  Next  a  kind  of 
enclosure  had  been  arranged  around  the  flooring,  made  up  of  large  slabs  on 
edge,  in  double  thickness,  sloping  outward,  and  projecting  upward,  a  few  inches 
on  an  average,  above  the  stone  pavement.  The  basal  diameter  of  the  whole 
grave,  still  irregularly  circular,  was  about  11.5  feet. 

About  centrally  on  the  floored  space  lay  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the  left, 
the  head  ENE.  No  sign  of  slabs  or  of  masses  of  rock  was  above  the  grave. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  the  mound,  28  inches  down,  not  far  from  the  base, 
slabs  had  been  piled  horizontally,  often  with  small  spaces  between,  in  one  thick 
ness  usually  in  the  outer  parts  of  the  flooring,  but  in  two,  three,  and  even  four 
thicknesses  elsewhere.  The  flooring,  however,  was  level  on  the  whole,  at  places 
two  or  more  thin  slabs  being  used  to  equal  a  thicker  one. 

The  outline  of  the  flooring,  which  was  not  surrounded  by  slanting  slabs  as 
in  the  preceding  case,  was  somewhat  irregular,  ranging  between  8  and  9  feet  in 
diameter. 

Near  the  center  of  this  flooring,  above  which  were  no  slabs  or  masses  of  rock, 
was  the  skeleton  of  a  child. 

But  one  part  of  this  interesting  mound  was  left  unexplored,  the  outer,  north 
ern  portion,  where  it  is  unlikely  undisturbed  burials  would  have  been  found. 

On  the  Kimbrough  Place,  superficially,  flint  points  were  numerous,  most  of 
them  probably  knives,  and  showing  little  care  in  their  manufacture.  A  few 
slender  and  graceful,  triangular  points  of  flint  were  found,  however,  the  two 
basal  angles  projecting  downward  slightly.  One  rude  arrowhead  of  quartz 
also  was  found. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  WHEELOCK  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

There  are  four  small  mounds  on  this  place,  the  largest  about  6  feet  high  and 
50  feet  in  diameter,  in  sight  from  the  landing.  Owner,  Mr.  W.  E.  Wheelock, 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  GARRISON  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

Two  mounds  on  this  place,  in  full  view  from  the  river,  each  about  9  feet 
high  (estimated),  have  been  considerably  dug  into,  resulting  in  the  discovery  of 
bones  only,  we  were  informed  by  the  owner,  Mr.  J.  E.  Garrison,  who  lives  on 
the  place.  We  decided  to  make  no  investigation  here. 

1  Gerard  Fowke,  "  Archaeological  History  of  Ohio,"  p.  402,  Fig.  128. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  407 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  LOWER  HAMPTON  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

On  the  Lower  Hampton  Place,  belonging  to  Mr.  Walter  Hampton,  of  North 
Chattanooga,  extending  for  some  distance  along  a  ridge,  as  a  rule,  sometimes  in 
pairs  or  in  groups  of  three,  some  in  woods,  some  in  cultivated  fields,  are  fifteen 
mounds,  the  largest,  9  feet  in  height  and  Go  feet  in  diameter.  All  these  mounds 
are  of  the  type  common  in  this  region,  namely,  the  blunt  cone. 

One  of  these  mounds,  on  the  fiat  crest  of  a  ridge,  a  short  distance  back  from 
the  river,  about  30  feet  from  another  mound,  was  4  feet  in  height  and  40  feet  in 
diameter.  A  hole  12  feet  square  was  put  down,  reaching  at  a  depth  of  40  inches 
a  decaying  skull  with  no  trace  of  other  bones. 

About  4  feet  9  inches  deep  undisturbed  red  clay  with  pebbles  was  readied. 
The  entire  base  was  carefully  searched  without  discovery  of  any  burial  or  further 
trace  of  human  remains. 

MOUNDS  AT  EUCHEE,  MEIGS  COUNTY. 

At  Euchee  are  two  mounds  belonging  to  Mr.  J.  P.  Celvahouse,  of  that  place. 
These  mounds,  of  the  usual  shape,  estimated  by  our  agent  to  be  12  feet  and  4  feet 
high,  with  diameters  of  75  feet  and  50  feet,  respectively,  are  used  in  time  of 
high  water  to  store  goods  upon,  thus  saving  their  transport  to  the  hills;  conse 
quently,  digging  into  the  mounds  was  not  desired. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  UPPER  HAMPTON  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

On  the  Upper  Hampton  Place,  belonging  to  Mr.  Walter  Hampton,  a  num 
ber  of  whose  properties  we  have  described  in  this  report,  are  five  mounds  in  an 
irregular  line,  but  a  few  feet  apart,  none  of  which  has  been  under  cultivation. 
Taking  these  mounds  in  order,  beginning  with  the  most  northerly  one,  the 
heights  are:  6  feet  9  inches;  9  feet  8  inches;  15  feet  9  inches;  10  feet  2  inches; 
6  feet  4  inches.  The  diameters  of  the  circular  bases  of  these  mounds,  taken  in 
the  same  order  as  the  heights,  are:  55  feet;  60  feet;  85  feet;  55  feet;  50  feet. 
Numerous  slabs,  unquestionably  from  stone  graves,  lay  upon  one  of  them. 

Selecting  the  smallest  mound  for  investigation,  a  hole  about  11  feet  square 
reached  the  base-line  at  a  depth  of  4  feet  4  inches,  showing  that  the  mound  had 
been  increased  in  height,  presumably  by  the  washing  away  of  adjacent  ground, 
which  could  readily  be  the  case,  the  mound  being  on  a  slope. 

Not  far  from  the  center  of  the  excavation,  on  the  dark  material  marking  the 
original  surface  of  I  lie  ground,  were  remains  of  a  skull,  no  other  bones  being 
present.  With  the  skull  was  part  of  the  columella  of  a  conch-shell. 

At  one  corner  of  the  excavation  were  remnants,  here  and  there,  of  bones 
which,  from  their  position,  indicated  they  had  formed  part  of  a  skeleton  lying  at 
full  length.  Near  the  skull  were  two  parts  of  the  columella  of  a  conch;  two  similar 
ones  had  been  placed  near  where  the  left  shoulder  had  been. 

Extending  over  a  number  of  acres  along  the  river,  at  the  Upper  Hampton 
Place,  is  an  aboriginal  dwelling-site,  now  a  cultivated  field,  having  on  the  surface 


408  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

considerable  debris,  including  bits  of  pottery,  some  having  crude,  incised  decora 
tion  of  parallel  and  crossed  lines. 

There  were  gathered  from  the  surface,  besides  some  graceful,  triangular 
arrowheads  and  many  carelessly-made  ones,  all  of  flint:  a  hatchet  and  part  of 
another  one;  small  discs  of  pottery  and  of  stone;  a  tubular  bead  and  a  small 
boss  of  brass;  a  flint  knife.  A  very  careful  search  conducted  by  nine  persons 
failed  to  find  any  trace  of  human  bones  on  the  surface,  and  a  limited  amount  of 
digging  and  sounding  with  the  rod  were  unsuccessful  in  discovering  burials. 

MOUND^NEAR^RED  CLOUD  FERRY,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

Near  Red  Cloud  Ferry,  on  property  belonging  to  Air.  William  E.  Wheelock, 
of  Chattanooga,  is  a  mound  about  5  feet  high  and  40  feet  in  diameter  (estimated). 
Permission  not  granted. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  HOPE  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  H.  R.  Hope  are  three  mounds  visible  from  the  river, 
ranging  between  7  and  9  feet  in  height,  each  about  50  feet  in  diameter  (estimated). 
Though  Mr.  Hope  kindly  placed  these  mounds  at  our  disposal,  the  low  water 
prevailing  in  the  river  prevented  our  approach  within  a  distance  convenient  for 
conducting  the  investigation. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  CAGLE  PLACE,  RHEA  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  W.  N.  Cagle  are  three  mounds,  all  between  5  and  6 
feet  in  height  and  with  basal  diameters  between  40  and  50  feet  (estimated). 
Permission  not  granted. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  JACKSON  FERRY,  MEIGS  AND^ROANE  COUNTIES. 

On  the  property  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  T.  L.  Smith,  of  Harriman,  Tenn.,  are 
fourteen  mounds,  to  investigate  which  we  were  unable  to  obtain  permission. 
In  ascending  the  river  one  comes  first  to  a  mound  about  10  feet  in  height  in  sight 
from  the  bank.  Farther  along  is  one  about  3  feet  in  height  and  opposite  the 
mouth  of  White  creek  is  another  5  feet  high,  approximately.  These  mounds 
probably  are  in  Meigs  County. 

A  short  distance  in  from  Jackson  Ferry,  on  the  Smith  property,  some  of  which 
are  in  sight  from  it,  are  five  other  mounds  in  line  and  but  short  distances  apart, 
the  largest  having  a  height  of  about  5  feet. 

Farther  back  on  a  hill,  on  the  extremity  of  a  ridge,  in  woods,  is  a  very  inter 
esting  group  of  six  mounds,  all  near  together,  all  very  symmetrical  and  nearly 
of  the  same  size,  the  largest  being  16  feet  in  height  and  80  feet  in  diameter. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  FITZGERALD  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  the  Fitzgerald  property,  belonging  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fitzgerald,  of  Rock- 
wood,  Tenn.,  are  seven  mounds  between  6  feet  and  11  feet  in  height.  Permission 
to  dig  not  granted. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 


409 


MOUNDS  ON  THE  CAMPBELL,  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  E.  F.  Campbell,  of  Cleveland,  Tenn.,  immediately 
opposite  Half  Moon  Island,  are  six  mounds  a  short  distance  back  from  the  river, 
the  smallest  mound  of  the  group  immediately  in  from  the  landing,  being  5  feet 
in  height  and  35  feet  in  diameter. 

A  short  distance  from  this  mound  are  four  others,  almost  in  a  straight  line 
and  but  a  few  yards  apart,  all  very  symmetrical,  none  showing  previous  digging 


FIG.  98. — Mounds  on  the  Campbell  Place,  Tenn. 

or  disturbance  by  the  plow.  These  mounds  arc  shown  in  Fig.  98.  Their  heights 
in  order  going  eastwardly  are  9  feet,  9  feet  4  inches,  8  feet  2  inches,  1 1  feet  3 
inches;  their  diameters,  45  feet  each,  with  the  exception  of  the  highest,  which 
is  50  feet. 

A  short  distance  from  these  mounds,  though  not  in  line  with  them,  is  another, 
1 1  feet  5  inches  in  height  and  70  feet  in  diameter.  A  trench  of  considerable  size, 
which  we  were  informed  had  yielded  only  fragments  of  bones,  had  been  put  in 
from  one  side. 

The  mound  nearest  the  landing,  the  one  5  feet  in  height,  was  selected  by  us 
for  examination,  and  an  excavation  12  feet  square  was  put  down  by  us  through 
the  base,  which  proved  to  be  at  a  depth  of  slightly  more  than  4  feet.  At  1(5,  20, 
and  22  inches  down  were  decaying  fragments  of  bone.  On  the  base-line  was  a 
fragment  of  the  petrous  part  of  a  temporal  bone  of  a  human  skull. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  ROCKWOOD  LANDING,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Dr.  Charles  Wilson,  of  Rockwood,  Tenn.,  are  five  mounds 
ranging  between  4  and  9  feet  in  height  (estimated).  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUND  ON  THE  HOOD  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  property  of  Mr.  T.  L.  Hood,  in  full  view  from  the  water,  is  a  mound 
]  1  feel  in  height  and  55  feet  in  diameter  (estimated),  which,  when  visited  by  us 

42  JOUHN.  A.  N.  S.  PHILA.,  VOL.  XVI. 


410  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

at  the  close  of  the  season,  was  surrounded  with  growing  grain.  In  view  of  the 
unproductive  character  of  the  mounds  in  this  region,  and  the  damage  to  property 
which  the  work  would  entail,  we  did  not  consider  it  worth  while  to  investigate 
this  mound. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  BUTLER  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mrs.  Fanny  Butler,  of  Harriman,  Tcnn.,  immediately 
across  the  river  from  the  Ewing  Place,  next  to  be  described,  in  sight  from  the 
water,  are  three  mounds,  two  about  5  feet  in  height,  one  3.5  feet  high,  approxi 
mately,  having  respective  diameters  of  50,  50,  and  40  feet  (estimated).  These 
mounds  at  the  time  of  our  visit  were  covered  with  growing  grain  and  were  not 
investigated  by  us. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  EWING  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  R.  E.  Ewing,  resident  thereon,  arc  six  mounds  in  a 
cultivated  field,  a  few  yards  from  one  another,  none  of  which  has  been  plowed 
over.  The  group  is  visible  from  the  river.  Someone,  doubtless  a  victim  of 
unrequited  endeavor,  had  dug  a  large  trench  into  one  of  the  principal  mounds 
before  our  coming,  but  otherwise  no  sign  of  previous  disturbance  was  apparent 
in  the  group. 

These  mounds  are  in  height,  respectively:  12  feet  6  inches,  10  feet  9  inches, 
10  feet  2  inches,  8  feet  5  inches,  7  feet,  5  feet  7  inches;  the  diameters  being  65  feet, 
55  feet,  65  feet  by  55  feet,  50  feet,  50  feet,  45  feet. 

A  hole  12  feet  square,  sunk  by  us  centrally  in  the  smallest  mound,  came 
upon  parts  of  a  skeleton  at  a  depth  of  16  inches,  so  badly  decayed  that  even  the 
teeth  crumbled  when  rolled  between  the  thumb  and  fingers. 

A  distinct  base-line  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  6  feet  3  inches,  and  on  this 
dark  stratum,  in  a  corner  of  the  excavation,  were  the  remains  of  a  skull  in  the 
last  stage  of  decay,  other  bones  perhaps  having  disappeared.  With  the  skull 
was  an  asymmetrical  banner-stone  of  sandstone,  a  rounded  ellipse  in  outline, 
with  the  perforation  so  clumsily  made  that  fragments  of  the  stone  were  broken 
out  at  each  extremity  of  it.  At  some  distance  from  the  skull  was  a  rude  arrow 
head  or  knife,  of  flint. 

On  one  side  of  the  center  of  the  excavation  was  a  roughly  circular  grave 
between  5  feet  3  inches  and  5  feet  10  inches  in  diameter,  cutting  through  the 
base-line  and  extending  2  feet  3  inches  below  it,  at  the  deepest  part.  The  sides  of 
the  grave,  however,  sloped  considerably,  and  it  was  only  in  the  central  part  that 
the  greatest  depth  was  attained. 

The  pit  had  been  dug  into  undisturbed  red  clay,  and  some  of  this  clay  had 
been  piled  around  the  opening,  while  more  of  it,  mixed  with  dark  soil  which  had 
been  scraped  from  the  surface  and  of  which  the  mound  was  made,  had  been 
used  to  fill  the  grave.  Careful  search  failed  to  discover  any  trace  of  skeletal 
remains  in  this  pit,  and  as  the  soil  in  the  bottom  of  it  was  very  moist  it  is  almost 
certain  that  a  burial  originally  in  the  grave  had  decayed  away. 


ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER.  411 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  TEDDER  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  property  belonging  to  Mrs.  Sarah  Tedder  who  lives  upon  it,  are  three 
mounds  a  short  distance  apart,  two  on  high  land  and  visible  from  the  river, 
one  on  sloping  ground,  a  short  distance  farther  back.  The  two  mounds  first 
mentioned,  10  feet  and  9  feet  3  inches  high,  respectively,  and  each  about  50  feet 
in  diameter,  are  in  a  cultivated  field,  but  themselves  untouched  by  the  plow. 

The  third  mound,  reduced  by  cultivation,  is  4.5  feet  high  and  50  feet  in  diam 
eter  of  base.  Into  this  mound,  centrally,  a  hole  12  feet  square  was  sunk  to 
the  base  resting  on  undisturbed  clay.  Somewhat  away  from  the  middle  of 
the  excavation  was  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  not  in  a  grave,  apparently, 
but  which  seemingly  had  been  placed  upon  the  original  surface  of  the  ground  and 
the  mound  erected  over  it.  To  the  left  of  the  skull  were  twelve  musselshells 
( Unio  crassidens) . 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  DE  ARMOND  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  property  of  the  De  Armond  estate  are  three  mounds  in  a  cultivated  field, 
on  a  ridge  overlooking  the  river,  from  which  they  would  be  visible  did  not  trees 
intervene.  The  mounds  are  8  feet  3  inches,  4  feet  8  inches,  and  3  feet  6  inches 
in  height,  and  50  feet,  45  feet,  and  45  feet  in  diameter,  respectively.  The  two 
smaller  mounds  have  been  under  cultivation  and  have  been  much  spread;  the 
largest  mound  had  trees  upon  it  and  seemingly  was  untouched  by  the  plow. 

In  the  central  part  of  the  smallest  mound  a  hole  12  feet  square  was  put 
down  which  came  upon  small  deposits  of  musselshells,  here  and  there,  uncon 
nected  with  burials.  The  mound  proved  to  be  of  dark  soil  which  seemingly 
had  been  gathered  from  a  dwelling-site,  though  the  surface  of  the  surrounding- 
area,  at  the  present  time,  shows  no  sign  of  admixture  with  organic  matter. 
Probably  the  soil  of  the  midden  site,  long  since  loosened  by  the  plow,  has  been 
washed  away  by  rain. 

Off  toward  one  side  of  the  excavation  was  a  grave,  extending  2  feet  below  the 
base  of  the  mound,  which  was  3  feet  5  inches  below  its  highest  part.  This  grave- 
pit  was  distinctly  marked,  the  dark  soil  of  the  mound  extending  into  the  red  clay 
and  gravel  of  the  hills. 

On  the  bottom  of  the  grave  was  a  skeleton  extended  on  the  back,  much 
decayed.  A  small  amount  of  charcoal  lay  beside;  it. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  EVANS  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

The  Evans  Place,  on  which  is  the  terminus  of  a  branch  railroad  which  there 
transfers  iron  ore  to  a  steamer,  is  under  the  management  of  Mr.  J.  W.  Bowman. 
A  short  quarter  of  a  mile. in  from  the  landing  at  this  place  are  three  mounds, 
two  of  which,!)  feet  and  (i  feet  in  height, respectively, and  each  45  feet  in  diam 
eter,  have  never  been  under  cultivation  and  are  filled  with  roots  of  trees,  some 
of  great  size. 


412  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

The  third  mound,  which  we  selected  for  investigation,  was  4  feet  in  height 
and  50  feet  in  diameter.  It  had  been  under  cultivation  for  a  long  time.  A  hole 
12  feet  square  came  upon  traces  of  a  skull,  6  inches  down,  and  reached  the  base 
line  of  the  mound  at  a  depth  of  3  feet. 

Off  toward  one  side  of  the  hole  were  two  burials  which  apparently  had  been 
laid  on  the  original  surface  of  the  ground  and  the  mound  then  had  been  built 
over  them.  These  burials,  which  had  been  placed  face  to  face  in  flexed  positions, 
were  traceable  only  through  the  presence  of  badly  decayed  bones  of  the  legs 
and  thighs  in  both  instances,  of  the  pelvis  in  one  case,  and  of  both  skulls.  No 
other  bones  were  in  evidence,  and  presumably  they  had  decayed  away.  Near 
these  mounds  were  remnants  of  several  others  almost  plowed  to  the  level  of  the 
field. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  HOOD'S  FERRY,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  property  of  Mr.  R.  H.  Alford,  who  lives  on  it,  are  four  mounds  and  several 
remnants  of  mounds,  in  sight  from  Hood's  Ferry  and  from  one  another.  These 
mounds,  which  have  all  been  under  cultivation,  are:  10  feet  high,  55  feet  in 
diameter;  4  feet  in  height,  65  feet  in  diameter;  12.5  feet  high  and  50  by  75  feet 
in  diameter;  6  feet  8  inches  in  height  and  65  feet  in  diameter. 

The  mound  last  mentioned  was  selected  by  us  for  investigation,  with  the  feel 
ing  on  our  part  that  it  was  as  likely  as  any  of  the  others  to  demonstrate  how 
little  of  an  imperishable  nature  was  put  with  the  dead  by  the  aborigines  of  this 
region.  The  usual  excavation,  12  feet  square,  was  put  down  centrally  in  the 
mound  and  showed  it  to  be  composed  of  the  brown  clay  mixed  with  sand,  of 
the  bottom-land  on  which  it  was,  and  proved  also  that  the  height  taken  from 
the  outside,  namely  6  feet  8  inches,  was  misleading,  as  the  sloping  ground  on 
which  the  mound  was  reared  had  been  exposed  to  wash  which  had  hollowed  out 
the  ground  immediately  around  it.  A  dark  line  marking  the  base  was  reached 
at  a  depth  of  4  feet  8  inches.  This  line,  however,  was  not  apparent  at  one  corner 
of  the  excavation,  though  careful  digging  failed  to  discover  a  pit. 

Lying  on  the  base  of  the  mound  to  one  side  of  the  center  of  the  excavation, 
was  a  small  deposit  of  calcined  fragments  of  human  bone.  Above  them  the 
ground  was  soft  to  a  height  of  about  one  foot,  but  no  pit  could  be  determined, 
as  the  material  covering  the  bones  was  of  the  same  color  as  that  of  the  rest  of 
the  mound. 

About  three-quarters  of  a  mile  back  from  the  river,  also  on  Mr.  Alford 's 
property,  arc  four  other  mounds  near  together,  which  were  visited  by  our  agent. 
We  were  informed  that  these  mounds  were  about  the  same  size  as  those  already 
described  on  this  place. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  GOODWIN  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  property  belonging  to  Mr.  R.  E.  Ewing  are  three  mounds,  9  feet,  6  feet, 
and  5  feet  in  height;  and  50  feet,  40  feet,  and  35  feet  in  diameter,  respectively. 
Owing  to  a  misunderstanding  as  to  the  nature  of  our  expedition,  permission  to 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER.  413 

explore  those  mounds  was  not  granted  by  Mr.  Ewing,  who  was  consulted  by 
telephone.  Later,  when  we  called  on  Mr.  Ewing,  another  place  owned  by  him 
was  cordially  put  at  our  disposal. 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  Biss  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  Henry  D.  Biss,  who  resides  on  it,  are  three  mounds. 
Two  of  these,  about  60  yards  apart,  on  high  ground,  are  visible  from  the  river, 
the  larger,  which  has  an  extensive  hole  in  the  center,  left  by  a  previous  digger, 
being  11.5  feet  in  height  and  60  feet  in  diameter,  and  having,  like  nearly  all  the 
mounds  of  this  region,  an  almost  circular  base. 

The  smaller  mound,  between  3  and  4  feet  in  height,  and  45  feet  in  diameter, 
is  on  a  slope. 

An  excavation  12  feet  square  was  put  down  in  the  smaller  mound,  reaching 
undisturbed  clay  at  a  depth  of  3  feet  7  inches.  Just  beneath  the  surface  were 
remains  of  a  skull  and  fragments  of  other  bones.  An  arrowhead  of  flint  was 
found  isolated  in  the  clay. 

At  a  depth  of  2  feet  5  inches  was  the  skeleton  of  an  adolescent,  partly  flexed 
to  the  left,  without  the  skull.  While  the  bones  of  this  skeleton  were  badly 
decayed  and  friable,  they  were  distinct,  so  that  it  was  clear  that  the  skull  was 
not  missing  through  decay.  No  sign  of  disturbance,  aboriginal  or  recent,  was 
noticeable  near  the  skeleton,  which  apparently  had  been  interred  without  the 
cranium. 

At  the  right  shoulder  was  a  small,  triangular  arrowhead  of  flint,  and  four 
of  the  same  material  and  shape  were  at  the  left  shoulder,  a  particularly  graceful 
one  being  1.7  inch  in  length  and  .65  inch  across  the  base.  On  the  pelvis  was 
part  of  the  columella  of  a  conch-shell,  much  decayed. 

A  most  careful  search  failed  to  reveal  any  sign  of  a  burial  below  the  base 
of  the  mound. 

We  obtained  from  Mr.  Biss,  who  informed  us  he  had  plowed  it  from  this 
mound,  an  object  of  coarse-grained  diabase,  6.6  inches  in  length,  3  inches  in 
maximum  width,  1.1  inch  wide  at  the  narrow  end,  2.75  inches  at  the  opposite 
end,  and  .3  inch  in  maximum  thickness  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  2).  In  shape  this 
object  much  resembles  a  ceremonial  axe,  which  we  believe  it  to  be  and  that  it 
was  carried  attached  to  a  handle,  as  the  perforation  is  placed  in  a  position  in 
the  blade  similar  to  that  found  in  numerous  unquestioned  ceremonial  axes. 
The  absence  of  a  cutting  edge  in  the  specimen  under  consideration  does  not,  in 
our  opinion,  seem  incongruous  in  the  case  of  an  axe  intended  only  for  cere 
monial  use. 

An  object  of  like  material,  and  otherwise  similar,  save  that  it  is  somewhat 
smaller,  is  in  the  Vaux  collection  at  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Phila 
delphia  and  is  reported  to  have  come  from  West  Virginia. 

In  a  description  of  the  Mason  collection  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  New  York,  is  figured1  another  of  these  ceremonial  axes  (according  to 

1  Alanson  Skinner  in  "The  American  Museum  Journal,"  April,  1914. 


414  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON   TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

our  belief)  which  the  author  classes  among  pendants.  This  axe  or  pendant, 
as  the  case  may  be,  resembles  ours  (again  even  as  to  material),  but  in  addition 
has  certain  notches  at  one  end.  Its  size  is  not  given.  The  Mason  collection  is 
said  to  be  composed  of  objects  from  the  vicinity  of  Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  which  is 
in  the  northeastern  corner  of  that  state. 

In  an  interesting  paper1  Dr.  A.  C.  Simoens  da  Silva  figures  one  of  these  cere 
monial  objects  which  he  describes  as  "a  stone  axe  without  a  cutting  edge"  and 
calls  it  "the  insignia  of  an  Indian  chief."  This  axe,  he  tells  us,  is  a  fine-grained 
diabase  and  was  found  in  southern  Brazil.  He  believes  it  was  worn  suspended 
from  the  neck. 

On  the  Biss  Place  also  is  a  remnant  of  a  mound  which  had  been  considerably 
dug  into  previous  to  our  coming  and  was  not  examined  by  us. 

MOUNDS  ON  LONG  ISLAND,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  Long  Island,  which  is  about  3  miles  in  length  and  is  owned  by  Messrs. 
Gorda  Johnson  Sons,  of  Lookout  Mountain,  Tcnn.,  is  a  mound  about  18  feet 
in  height,  and  a  considerable  number  of  small  mounds,  none,  we  believe,  having 
an  altitude  of  more  than  7  feet.  Permission  was  refused. 

The  large  site  on  Long  Island  was  in  part  investigated  on  behalf  of  the 
Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,2  resulting  in  the  discovery  of  an  interesting 
stone  image  which  is  figured  in  the  report.  Long  Island,  as  we  have  explained,  is 
in  a  part  of  Tennessee  river  formerly  called  Holston  river,  and  it  is  so  spoken  of 
in  the  account. 

The  statement  made  (page  359)  that  the  large  mound  on  Long  Island  was 
known  as  the  Brakebill  Mound  and  was  explored  by  the  Rev.  E.  O.  Dunning  on 
behalf  of  Peabody  Museum  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  is  an  error.  The  Brakebill 
Mouncl:!  is  near  the  junction  of  the  Holston  and  French  Broad  rivers,  just  above 
Knoxville,  Tenn. 

MOUNDS    NEAR    HUFFINE    FERRY,    ROANE    COUNTY. 

About  400  yards  in  a  southerly  direction  from  Hurfine  Ferry  and  in  full 
view  from  the  river  is  a  mound  on  cultivated  land  belonging  to  Mr.  B.  F.  Huffine 
who  resides  nearby.  The  mound,  which  has  been  plowed  over  for  a  long  time, 
is  on  a  slope,  and  presumably  the  ground  around  it  has  been  washed  away,  as 
its  height,  4.5  feet  as  measured  from  the  outside,  proved  to  be  considerably 
less  when  our  excavation,  12  feet  square,  was  carried  centrally  to  the  base. 
The1  diameter  of  the  mound  was  40  feet. 

Near  the  surface  was  part  of  the  shaft  of  a  human  femur.     At  a  depth  of 

1  "Points  of  Contact  of  the  Prehistoric  Civilization  of  Brazil  and  Argentina  with  those  of  the 
Pacific    Coast    Countries."     Proceedings    of   the    International    Congress    of    Americanists,    XVIII 
Session,  Part  II.     London,  1912. 

2  Twelfth  An.  Rep.,  p.  358  et  seq. 

3  Fifth  An.  Rep.  Peabody  Museum,  p.  11. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON   TENNESSEE  RIVER.  415 

26  inches  a  dark  line  was  reached,  presumably  the  original  surface  of  the  ground, 
beneath  which  was  the  undisturbed  red  clay  of  the  hills. 

In  the  eastern  side  of  the  excavation  was  a  grave  in  the  form  of  an  irregular 
circle  with  diameters  of  5  feet  10  inches  and  6  feet  6  inches.  This  pit  apparently 
had  been  dug  to  a  depth  of  2  feet  below  the  base  of  the  mound  and  was  clearly 
defined,  extending  into  the  red  clay. 

On  the  bottom  of  the  grave  was  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  on  the  left  side,  with 
charcoal  under  it  and  along  it  in  places.  The  grave,  which  was  concave,  re 
sembling  a  large  basin,  had  been  partly  filled  with  the  red  clay  that  had  been 
dug  out  in  its  making  and  which  also  was  piled  around  the  margin  of  the  grave. 
The  red  clay  that  had  been  used  to  fill  was  easily  distinguishable  from  the  clay 
of  the  same  color  of  the  solid  ground  surrounding  it,  as  it  was  much  less  compact 
than  was  the  undisturbed  clay.  Evidently  the  mound  had  been  built  largely 
from  the  brown  material  taken  from  the  surface,  and  this  material  had  been 
used  to  complete  the  filling  of  the  grave. 

About  one-half  mile  SSE.  from  the  mound  just  described,  also  on  the  property 
of  Mr.  Huffinc,  is  another,  somewhat  smaller,  which  we  decided  not  to  investigate. 

MOUND  ON  THE  PICKLES  PLACE,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  E.  Pickles  is  a  mound  40  feet  in  diameter  and 
5  feet  high  (estimated).  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  PAINT  ROCK  CREEK,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

One-half  mile  S.  by  E.  from  the  mouth  of  Paint  Rock  creek,  in  a  cultivated 
field  belonging  to  Mrs.  J.  H.  Byrd,  of  Loudon,  Tenn.,  is  a  mound  about  9  feet 
high  and  75  feet  in  diameter  (estimated).  This  mound,  though  kindly  placed 
at  our  disposal  by  Mrs.  Byrd,  was  covered  with  growing  grain  at  the  time  of 
our  visit  and  was  not  dug  into  by  us. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  R.  H.  Bell,  on  the  lower  side  of  Paint  Rock  creek, 
are  seven  mounds:  one  3.5  feet,  three  5  feet  each,  one  10  feet,  one  12  feet,  one 
22  feet  in  height  (estimated).  The  two  largest  mounds  have  flat  tops;  on  the 
smallest  is  a  building.  Permission  refused. 

In  the  Third  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology  (page  461) 
is  an  account  of  these  mounds  near  Paint  Rock  Ferry,  which  is  near  the  mouth 
of  Paint  Rock  creek.  The  height  of  the  largest  mound  is  given  as  40  feet,  a  great 
over-estimate.  In  a  mound  at  this  place,  according  to  the  investigator  for  the 
Bureau,  a  stone  grave  (not  of  the  box-shape)  was  found  and  stone  slabs  lay  on 
the  surface. 

MOUNDS  NEAR  MOUTH  OF  POND  CREEK,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

About  one-quarter  mile  W.  by  S.  from  the  mouth  of  Pond  creek,  and  in  sight 
from  it,  is  a  mound  in  a  cultivated  field,  the  mound  also  having  been  plowed 
over.  Mr.  F.  A.  Berry,  the  owner  of  the  property,  who  resides  on  it,  informed 


416  ABORIGINAL  SITES   ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

us  that  while  the  field  had  long  been  under  cultivation,  the  mound  had  only 
recently  been  cleared  of  trees  and,  so  far  as  he  knew,  it  had  not  been  dug  into 
to  any  extent.  This  absence  of  wear  and  wash  doubtless  explains  the  symmetry 
of  the  mound,  which,  though  10.5  feet  in  height,  was  only  about  60  feet  in  diam 
eter,  its  shape  being  the  usual  blunt  cone  found  in  this  region. 

A  few  feet  from  this  mound  is  what  the  plow  has  left  of  another  one,  the  height 
of  this  remnant  being  about  2  feet,  the  diameter  about  45  feet.  As  this  remainder 
had  been  dug  into  considerably  before  our  visit,  it  was  not  investigated  by  us. 

On  that  part  of  the  field  which  surrounds  these  mounds,  considerable  midden- 
debris,  seemingly  free  from  any  objects  of  interest,  is  scattered. 

In  the  larger  mound  a  hole  12  feet  square  was  put  down  to  and  through  the 
base,  which,  in  the  shape  of  a  dark,  irregular  streak  about  one  inch  in  thickness, 
was  encountered  at  a  depth  of  12  feet. 

Throughout  the  digging  human  remains  were  ten  times  encountered  at 
depths  beween  16  inches  and  10  feet  7  inches,  the  upper  burials  being  in  a  far 
poorer  condition  through  decay  than  were  the  lower  ones,  presumably  because 
the  upper  part  of  the  mound  (which  was  of  clay  from  the  bottom-land  on  which 
the  mound  stood)  was  damp,  while  the  ultimate  three  or  four  feet  were  perfectly 
dry  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  While  it  is  likely  that  in  the  rainy  season  the  whole 
mound  may  be  affected  by  moisture,  the  lower  part  is  dry  for  a  much  longer 
period  each  year  than  is  the  upper  portion. 

The  burials  in  order  of  depth  were  as  follows:  a  bunched  burial  with  bones 
belonging  to  at  least  four  persons,  having  in  association  a  canine  tooth  of  a  large 
carnivore,  too  much  decayed  to  determine  if  it  had  been  perforated  or  grooved 
for  suspension,  and  parts  of  two  columellac  of  conch-shells;  a  skull  having  the 
lower  jaw  much  decayed;  traces  of  a  tibia  and  a  femur;  remains  of  a  skull; 
remnants  of  bones  of  two  legs  flexed;  fragments  of  a  skull;  a  skeleton  partly 
flexed  on  the  left  side;  one  partly  flexed  on  the  right  side;  one  closely  flexed  on  the 
right  side,  having  with  it  a  small  quantity  of  ashes  and  charcoal;  a  skeleton  at 
full  length  on  the  back,  having  near  the  skull  a  small,  triangular  arrowhead  of 
flint,  with  the  line  of  the  base  concave. 

No  grave-pits  were  apparent  in  the  body  of  the  mound. 

In  one  corner  of  the  excavation  was  a  pit,  roughly  circular,  about  33  inches 
in  diameter,  tapering  considerably  toward  its  base,  which  was  14  feet  from  the 
summit  of  the  mound.  This  pit,  which  clearly  cut  through  the  dark  line  of  the 
base  of  the  mound  and  two  feet  beyond,  was  not  determinable  as  to  where  it 
commenced  in  the  mound.  Probably  it  had  been  started  from  the  original  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  after  it  had  been  filled  the  mound  was  built  over  it. 

In  the  bottom  of  the  pit  and  around  the  sides  of  the  lower  part  were  masses 
of  very  hard  clay,  or  possibly  claystone  which  had  deteriorated  since  the  time 
of  its  burial.  Enclosed  by  these  masses  was  granular  soil  easily  removed  with  a 
trowel,  while  to  loosen  the  clay  in  that  part  of  the  mound  which  surrounded  the 
pit  the  use  of  a  pick  was  necessary.  This  granular  earth  extended  about  10 


ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER.  417 

inches  above  the  base-line  of  the  mound,  and  probably  was  what  was  left  when 
the  pit  was  filled.  Over  this  little  mound,  to  the  height  of  about  a  foot,  was 
dark  clay  resembling  that  found  on  the  surrounding  field.  This  clay  probably 
had  been  gathered  from  the  level  ground  and  piled  above  the  small  mound  as  a 
nucleus  for  the  greater  one.  Above  this  dark  clay  was  a  deposit  of  thirty  or 
forty  musselshells,  much  decayed. 

Although  great  care  was  exercised  in  the  removal  of  the  contents  of  the  pit , 
no  trace  of  human  remains  was  discovered.  If  the  pit  had  served  as  a  place  of 
burial,  the  remains  that  had  been  interred  in  it  had  decayed  away.  Presumably 
the  pit  below  the  base  of  the  mound,  into  which  water  probably  could  percolate 
from  the  general  level  of  the  field,  would  contain  more  moisture  than  would 
lower  parts  of  the  mound  above  it. 

MOUND  NEAR  CAVE  CREEK,  ROANE  COUNTY. 

A  mound  about  one-quarter  mile  due  N.  from  the  mouth  of  Cave  creek,  in  a 
cultivated  field,  on  property  of  Air.  Robert  Dowdy,  4  feet  in  height  and  40  feet 
in  diameter  (estimated).  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUND  ON  THE  E.  E.  BLAIR  PLACE,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

About  one-half  mile  in  from  the  river,  on  the  property  of  Mr.  E.  E.  Blair, 
living  in  the  vicinity,  in  a  cultivated  field,  is  part  of  a  mound  now  nearly  plowed 
away.  We  did  not  consider  this  remnant  worthy  of  investigation. 

MOUND  ON  THE  W.  W.  BLAIR  PLACE,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

On  the  property  of  Mr.  W.  W.  Blair,  who  lives  upon  it,  about  one  mile  below 
the  town  of  London  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  is  a  mound  one-half 
mile  from  the  landing  in  a  cultivated  field  and  in  view  from  the  road.  The  mound 
4  feet  in  height  and  45  feet  in  diameter  of  base,  which  we  were  told  had  been 
plowed  over  for  years,  showed  no  evidence  of  previous  digging,  though  the 
presence  of  musselshells  upon  it,  while  none  are  on  the  surrounding  field,  indicated 
that  digging  had  been  done  or  that  parts  of  the  mound  had  been  plowed  away. 

Later  an  excavation  12  feet  square  showed  that  a  trench  about  4  feet  wide 
had  been  dug  in  from  the  western  side  of  the  mound,  and,  extending  below  its 
base,  had  reached  its  central  part.  Evidently  this  trench  had  been  filled  in 
during  the  cultivation  of  the  mound. 

Human  remains,  all  very  badly  decayed,  were  encountered  as  follows:  frag 
ments  of  bones  disturbed  by  the  plow;  a  skull  10  inches  down;  remains  of  a 
skeleton  at  a  depth  of  14  inches,  which  apparently  had  been  partly  flexed  to  the 
left;  remains  of  bones  indicating  a  burial  partly  flexed  to  the  right,  28  inches 
deep;  remnants  of  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  3  feet  8  inches  below  the  surface; 
fragments  of  bone  in  the  former  digging  and  other  fragments  in  the  mound  near 
the  trench,  3  feet  10  inches  deep. 

4IJ  JOUHN.  A.  N.  S.  PIIILA..  VOL.  XVI. 


418  ABORIGINAL   SITES   ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER, 

The  mound  was  composed  of  the  red  earth  of  the  hills  to  a  depth  of  3  feet 
3  inches,  below  which,  for  somewhat  more  than  one  foot,  was  what  seemed  to 
be  brown  soil  gathered  from  the  adjacent  surface.  Below  this  was  undisturbed 
red  clay. 

On  this  undisturbed  clay,  4  feet  5  inches  down,  was  a  skull  which  may  have 
been  interred  alone,  or,  as  it  lay  near  the  trench,  it  may  have  been  all  that  had 
not  been  cut  away  by  the  previous  digging. 

Throughout  our  investigation  of  this  mound  the  only  artifact  found  was  a 
small,  flint  arrowhead. 

MOUND  OPPOSITE  LOUDON,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

On  property  of  Mr.  Walter  Blair,  opposite  the  town  of  London,  at  the  foot 
of  the  hills,  about  one-quarter  mile  in  from  the  river,  is  a  mound  5  feet  in  height 
and  40  feet  in  diameter  (estimated),  a  large  part  of  which  has  been  dug  out. 
Permission  to  investigate  this  was  not  urged  by  us. 

MOUND  ON  THE  CARMICHAEL  PLACE,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

On  a  low  hill  about  one-quarter  mile  in  from  the  river,  and  in  sight  from  it, 
is  a  mound  slightly  more  than  3  feet  in  height  and  36  feet  in  diameter,  on  property 
belonging  to  Mr.  N.  B.  Carrnichael,  who  resides  upon  it. 

The  mound  was  composed  largely  of  the  red  clay  of  the  hills,  which  is  reached 
a  few  inches  below  the  general  surface,  but  the  upper  clay  having  lost  part  of  its 
iron  through  the  growth  of  vegetation,  had  assumed  a  brown  or  yellow  appear 
ance.  This  superficial  layer  made  it  easy  to  determine  when  the  base  of  the 
mound,  the  original  surface  of  the  ground,  had  been  reached,  and  the  red  clay 
beneath  it  made  the  determination  of  intruding  yellow  or  brown  clay  in  pits 
also  an  easy  matter. 

An  excavation  12  feet  square  came  upon,  at  a  depth  of  14  inches,  a  skull  face 
down,  and  some  small  decaying  fragments  of  bone,  among  which  were  recognized 
part  of  a  humerus  and  small  remnants  of  a  forearm. 

The  base  of  the  mound  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  2  feet  4  inches.  Somewhat 
off  from  the  center  of  the  base  was  a  pit,  4  feet  10  inches  by  4  feet  2  inches,  ex 
tending  1  foot  2  inches  below  the  original  surface,  or  base  of  the  mound.  On 
the  bottom  of  the  pit  a  skeleton,  hardly  more  than  traceable,  lay  partly  flexed 
to  the  left,  the  head  W.  by  S.  The  pit  evidently  had  been  filled  prior  to  the 
building  of  the  mound,  as  the  mixed  material  in  it  differed  from  the  composition 
of  the  mound  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  grave.  In  addition,  the  material  filling 
the  grave  had  been  made  into  a  little  mound  10  inches  in  height  above  the 
grave,  over  which  the  mound  proper  had  been  built. 

Another  pit,  4  feet  11  inches  by  2  feet  8  inches,  also  was  somewhat  away 
from  the  center  of  the  base.  Its  depth  below  the  original  surface  of  the  ground 
was  10  inches.  In  it  lay  faint  traces  of  a  skeleton  partly  flexed  to  the  right, 
the  head  SSE. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON   TENNESSEE  RIVER.  419 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  ARTHUR  PLACE,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

On  cultivated  ground  belonging  to  Mr.  Felix  Arthur,  whose  home  is  near  by, 
are  four  mounds,  all  in  sight  from  the  bank  of  the  river,  the  largest  5  feet  8  inches 
in  height  and  55  feet  in  diameter.  Three  of  these  mounds  are  in  line  and  but  a 
few  feet  apart.  The  fourth,  about  200  feet  away,  is  at  a  right  angle  from  the 
middle  mound  of  the  three.  Trees  of  considerable  size  on  all  the  mounds  give 
evidence  that  they  have  not  been  under  cultivation  in  recent  years;  indeed, 
judging  from  their  appearance,  they  have  never  been  plowed. 

The  mound  chosen  for  investigation  (the  one  at  a  distance  from  the  rest) 
was  5  feet  6  inches  in  height  and  40  feet  in  diameter.  A  hole  12  feet  square, 
dug  into  the  central  part,  reached  a  decaying  skull  and  some  small  fragments 
of  bone,  about  22  inches  down. 

In  another  part  of  the  excavation,  at  a  depth  of  16  inches,  were  traces  of 
bone  and  teeth  of  a  child,  with  which  were  a  few  shell  beads,  and  some  marine 
shells  (Olivclla  mutica)  pierced  for  use  as  beads. 

Twenty-six  inches  down  were  a  skull  and  some  traces  of  other  bones  indi 
cating  a  flexed  burial.  A  small,  flat  fragment  of  limestone  lay  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  trunk. 

Apart  from  bones  were:  a  graceful  arrowhead  of  flint,  triangular,  with  the 
two  basal  extremities  projecting  downward  somewhat;  two  spherical  pebbles 
and  one  somewhat  resembling  a  diminutive  brick  in  shape,  together. 

When  the  excavation  had  reached  a  depth  of  about  5  feet,  heavy  and  prolonged 
rain  induced  us  to  abandon  work  additional  to  the  filling  of  the  excavation. 

MOUND  NEAR  LENOIR  CITY,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

About  one-half  mile  northwest  from  Lenoir  City  Landing  is  a  mound  about 
5  feet  high  and  40  feet  in  diameter  (estimated),  on  property  of  the  Lenoir  City 
Company.  Permission  not  granted. 

MOUNDS  OPPOSITE  LENOIR  CITY,  LOUDON  COUNTY. 

About  one  mile  east  of  the  ferry  landing  opposite  Lenoir  City,  where  Little 
Tennessee  river  enters  the  Tennessee,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  J.  W.  Bussell,  are  five 
mounds,  the  largest  about  6  feet  high  and  50  feet  in  diameter  (estimated). 
Permission  refused. 

The  mounds  on  both  sides  of  Tennessee  river,  near  Lenoir  City,  arc  described 
and  mapped  in  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology 
(page  397  el  seq.). 

MOUNDS  ON  THE  EDWARD  PRATER  PLACE,  BLOUNT  COUNTY. 
In  a  cultivated  field,  on  high  land  rising  from  the  river-bank,  belonging 
to  Mr.  Edward  Prater,  who  lives  somewhat  farther  back  in  the  country,  are  two 
mounds  but  a  few  feet  apart,  one  of  which,  about  18  inches  in  height,  seemed  to 
have  been  thoroughly  dug. 


420  ABORIGINAL   SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER. 

The  other,  though  it  had  been  under  cultivation,  showed  no  sign  of  digging. 
Its  height  was  about  2  feet;  its  diameter,  about  45  feet.  Four  large  trial-holes 
in  the  central  part  of  the  mound  showed  the  base  to  be  about  2  feet  9  inches 
down,  and  in  one  instance  came  upon  a  skeleton  flexed  to  the  right,  at  a  depth  of 
20  inches. 

At  the  left  of  the  skull  was  a  small,  complete,  quartz  crystal.  Though 
bearing  no  perforation  or  groove  for  suspension,  this  crystal,  perhaps,  had  been 
an  ornament,  or  possibly  a  part  of  the  paraphernalia  of  a  medicine-man.  Small 
wonder  that  quartz  crystals,  with  their  striking  and  mysterious  appearance, 
should  appeal  to  the  savage  mind  as  efficacious  in  the  practice  of  "medicine" 
or  magic.  Fragments  of  quartz  crystals  are  found  in  the  bags  carried  by  sorcerers 
in  Roro,  New  Guinea.1  The  medicine-men  of  the  Papago  Indians2  of  Arizona 
use  crystals  to  induce  rain,  and  they  form  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  priests 
of  the  Pueblo  Indians  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  today  as  of  old.  We  found 
many  large  quartz  crystals  in  the  mound  at  the  Haley  Place,3  southwestern 
Arkansas,  interred  evidently  with  important  persons.  All  recall  the  bit  of 
quartz  crystal  in  the  Natchez  temple,  and  doubtless  many  other  examples  of 
the  use  of  crystals  by  aborigines  are  familiar  to  most  of  us. 

In  the  field  near  the  mound  is  a  small  dwelling-site  having  a  few  shells  and 
other  debris  scattered  upon  it.  Apparently  much  of  it  had  been  washed  away. 
No  burials  were  encountered. 

DWELLING-SITES  ON  THE  S.  E.  PRATER  PLACE,  BLOUNT  COUNTY. 
Adjoining  the  Edward  Prater  Place  is  the  property  of  Mr.  S.  E.  Prater,  living 
some  distance  back  toward  the  hills.     Two  dwelling-sites  on  this  place  were 
covered  with  growing  grain,  and  as  the  region  was  so  unpromising  no  effort  was 
made  on  our  part  to  arrange  terms  for  an  investigation. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  GRANT  ISLAND,  BLOUNT  COUNTY. 

On  Grant  Island  is  a  dwelling-site,  to  investigate  which  we  were  unable  to 
obtain  permission.  Owner,  Mr.  John  Queener. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  Cox  ISLAND,  KNOX  COUNTY. 

Cox  Island,  whose  area  is  restricted,  belongs  to  Mr.  W.  L.  Hinson,  living 
nearby  on  the  mainland.  On  part  of  this  island  is  an  aboriginal  dwelling-site 
covered  with  pebbles,  broken  and  whole,  some  of  fair  size;  hammer-stones;  some 
shells ;  a  small  number  of  bits  of  pottery,  and  here  and  there  fragments  of  human 
bones.  The  pebbles  at  this  place  are  silicious,  but  flint  is  practically  absent. 

From  the  surface  were  gathered  an  arrowhead  of  flint,  a  rude  grooved  axe  of 
sandstone,  a  spade  of  like  material,  and  part  of  a  slate  gorget. 

1  Robert  W.  Williamson,  M.  Sc.,  F.R.A.I.,  "The  Ways  of  the  South  Sea  Savage,"  p.  160. 

2  Dr.  Carl  Lumholtz,  "New  Trails  in  Mexico,"  p.  49. 

3  C.  B.  Moore,  "Some  Aboriginal  Sites  on  Red  River,"  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  Vol.  XIV, 
p.  527  et  seq. 


ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE   RIVER.  421 

Considerable  digging  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the  skeleton  of  a  child  at  a 
depth  of  one  foot,  and  showed  that  most  of  the  midden  material  formerly  on  the 
site  had  been  washed  away. 

DWELLING-SITE  ON  PRATER  ISLAND,  KNOX  COUNTY. 

Prater  Island,  belonging  to  Mrs.  Frank  Maxey,  of  Maryville,  Tenn.,  has  a 
well-defined  dwelling-site  near  its  lower  extremity,  on  which  were  fragments  of 
shells,  some  scattered  pebbles,  and  bits  of  human  bone.  From  the  surface  were 
collected  a  handsome  barrel-shaped  bead  of  shell,  nearly  one  inch  in  length; 
part  of  a  slate  gorget;  three  flint  arrowheads;  a  small  discoidal  stone. 

Numerous  trial-holes  came  upon  a  skeleton  closely  flexed,  face  down,  10  inches 
from  the  surface,  another  partly  flexed  on  the  left.  A  grooved  axe1  of  fine 
grained  gneiss,  about  8  inches  long,  was  unearthed  one  foot  below  the  surface, 
apart  from  any  burial. 

Also  in  this  site  was  a  refuse  pit,  4  feet  2  inches  by  3  feet  10  inches  at  the 
top,  which  was  7  inches  below  the  present  surface  of  the  field.  The  pit  tapered 
inward  somewhat  in  the  upper  part,  and  then  continued  down  with  the  sides 
more  nearly  perpendicular.  The  depth  of  the  pit  from  the  surface  was  5  feet, 
its  original  depth  probably  having  been  7  inches  less. 

This  pit,  which  had  no  burial  in  connection  with  it,  was  filled  with  refuse 
material,  including  some  river  shells  from  which  the  following  were  sufficiently 
preserved  to  identify:  Unio  crassidens,  Dromus  dromus,  Quadrula  pyramidafu, 
(J.  cboid.  There  was  also  much  soil,  almost  black  with  admixture  of  organic 
matter,  in  the  lower  part,  with  a  few  shells,  most  of  the  shells  with  some  of  the 
dark  earth  being  in  the  upper  part. 

MOUND  AND  SITE  ON  THE  JACKSON  PLACE,  BLOUNT  COUNTY. 

On  the  lower  part  of  the  property  of  Mr.  A.  N.  Jackson,  who  resides  on  it, 
is  a  small,  aboriginal  site  not  far  from  the  river,  in  which  we  were  unable  to  find 
bones  or  artifacts.  From  the  surface  were  gathered  one  flint  arrowhead  and  a 
graceful  celt  of  ferruginous  shale,  having,  however,  no  cutting  edge. 

Near  the  landing  on  the  same  place,  which  is  about  one  mile  farther  up  the 
river,  is  a  mound  in  a  cultivated  field,  which  would  be  visible  from  the  landing 
were  it  of  greater  height.  Careful  digging  into  this  small  elevation,  which  was 
but  one  foot  above  the  surface,  with  a  diameter  of  35  feet,  yielded  only  scattered 
fragments  of  human  bones. 

DWELLING-SITE  NEAR  LITTLE  RIVER  SHOALS,  KNOX  COUNTY. 

At  the  upper  end  of  Little  River  Shoals  is  the  property  of  Mr.  R.  A.  Sharp, 
who  resides  upon  it.  In  sight  from  the  landing  at  this  place,  in  a  pasture,  is  an 

1  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  considering  the  amount  of  digging  we  have  done,  this  grooved  axe,  the 
one  from  Cox  Island,  just  below,  and  one  from  the  site  near  Milton  Bluff,  Lawrenre  Co.  Ala.,  are 
the  first  we  have  found  beneath  or  on  the  surface  in  the  course  of  our  archaeological  investigations. 


422  ABORIGINAL  SITES  ON  TENNESSEE  RIVER. 

aboriginal  dwelling-site  whose  dark  soil,  filled  with  organic  matter,  shows  it  to 
have  been  a  place  of  aboriginal  abode  for  a  long  time.  On  the  surface  were 
scattered  shells  and  numerous  fragments  of  human  bones.  The  place  has  a 
history  of  many  skeletons  plowed  up  there. 

From  the  surface  were  gathered:  a  small  discoidal  stone;  a  flat  pebble  rounded 
by  chipping;  a  number  of  arrowheads  and  knives  of  flint,  and  one  of  quartz;  a 
slate  gorget,  elliptical  in  outline,  the  two  "perforations"  of  which  had  not  been 
completed.  Owing  to  a  natural  desire  on  the  part  of  the  owner  that  his  rich 
pasture  land  should  not  be  extensively  dug  into,  it  was  arranged  that  four  trial- 
holes  should  be  put  down  to  serve  as  an  indication  of  the  contents  of  the  site. 

In  two  of  these  holes  were  fragments  of  human  bones,  too  deep  for  the  plow 
to  have  disturbed  and  presumably  scattered  in  aboriginal  times.  In  another 
hole,  about  20  inches  deep,  lay  a  skeleton  flexed  to  the  left,  the  arms  folded 
across  the  lower  part  of  the  trunk.  On  both  forearms  were  many  small,  discoidal 
shell  beads  of  great  uniformity  of  size,  each  being  about  .12  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
So  minute  are  these  beads  that,  beyond  doubt,  a  number  were  lost  in  the  soil; 
2,997,  however,  were  recovered,  including  twelve  somewhat  broken. 

MOUND  OPPOSITE  LOONEY  ISLAND,  KNOX  COUNTY. 

Opposite  the  lower  end  of  Looney  Island  is  a  property  belonging  to  Dr.  B.  D. 
Brabson,  of  Knoxville,  Tenn.  In  sight  from  the  landing  on  this  property  is  a 
mound  somewhat  less  than  7  feet  in  height,  and  60  feet  in  diameter  of  base.  This 
mound  had  been  dug  out  centrally  and  extensively  trenched  from  two  sides, 
and  perhaps  otherwise  explored.  In  view  of  all  this  digging  an  investigation  of 
the  mound  was  deemed  inexpedient. 

MOUND  NEAR  KNOXVILLE. 

About  one  mile  below  the  city  of  Knoxville,  on  the  grounds  of  the  College  of 
Agriculture  and  Experiment  Station,  University  of  Tennessee,  is  a  mound  10 
feet  in  height  and  75  feet  in  diameter  (estimated).  As  there  was  a  laudable 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  management  of  the  college  to  protect  the  trees  growing 
on  this  mound,  permission  to  dig  into  it  was  not  granted. 


INDEX 


Adze  form  of  celt, 

Agricultural    implements,     190,    204,    206. 

245,  253,  255,  256,  259,  273,  281,  299, 

318,  337,  397,  420 

Amulet  of  bar  variety,  made  from  hematite, 
Amulets  of  bar  variety,  ....     318, 
Anglesitc,   lead   sulphide,   possibly   used   as 

paint, 

Anklet  of  brass, 

Antler,  worked, 270, 

Anvil-stone,       .         .         .  260,  279,  281, 

Archaeological    investigation,    no    previous 

systematic,  of  Tennessee  river, 
Archaeological  work  previously  done  along 

Tennessee  river, 

Archseology  of  northern  Alabama  previously 

unknown.  

Armlets  of  brass, 364, 

Armstrong  Ferry,  mounds  near,    . 

Arrow  flakers  of  antler,  .        .        .        .    3 IS, 

Arrowhead  of  unusual  shape, 

Arrowheads  and  fragments  of  (lint  bought 

by  dealer, 

Arrowheads,  deposit  of,  with  burial,    . 
Arrowheads    of    flint    showing    secondary 

work, 230, 

Arthur  Place,  mounds  on,       . 

Axe  with  double  groove, 

Axes,  ceremonial,  of  copper,  .        .        .    403, 

Axes,  ceremonial,  of  stone,  284,  303,  305, 

349,  351,  376,  413,  414 
Axes,  grooved,  .        .        .          259,  404,  420, 

Banner-stone, 252, 

Bar-amulets, 318, 

Baroque  pearls,  pierced  for  stringing,  . 
Barrel-shaped  stones,      ....    260, 
Barrett  Ferry,  mound  near,   .... 
Haugh's  Landing,  dwelling-site  at, 

Bead,  large,  of  copper, 

Bead  of  stone, 

Heads,  discoidal,  of  shell,  of  large  size, 
Heads  of  bone,  .        343,  355,  363,  384,  3,s6. 

Beads  of  brass. 363, 

Beads  of  copper,  247,  248,  250,  273,  291, 

297,  299,  300,  336,  355,  382 
Beads  of  glass,  283,  295,  305,  307,  363,  365, 

367,  373,  384,  396 
Heads  of  shell,  205,  206,  207 

262,  263,  267,  268,  273, 
3 1 5 
359 
384 


316, 
361, 

386, 


209,  234,  238, 
274,  292,  293, 
330,  336,  342, 
372,  371.  37S, 
390.  392,  419, 


306,  307,  309 

346.  347,  350 

381,  382,  3S3 

422 

Heads  of  shell,  large  number  in  one  deposit. 
Pieads  of  shell,  long,          ....     307, 
Heads   of   shell,    ^fl||•</iln/la,  205,    300,   316, 

355,  375,  3SO,  383,  391,  419 


384  Bean  Rock,  dwelling-site  near,  .  .  .  279 
243,  Hear,  black,  jaw  of,.  .  .  .  30S,  351,355 
314,  Beech  creek,  dwelling-site  near  mouth  of,  .  206 

Bell  Place,  mound  on, 387 

318  Bennett  Place,  mounds  on,  .  .  .  .  338 
337  Bicave  of  earthenware,  .  .  3S7 

Bicave  of  quartz,  with  central  perforation,  .  404 
301  Bicave  stones,  .  .  .  190,262,318,386,  101 

283  Bison,  jaw  of, 36s 

384  Biss  Place,  mounds  on,  .  .  413 

404  Blair,  E.  E.,  Place,  mound  on,  .  417 

Blair,  W.  \V.,  Place,  mound  on,  .  .  .417 
178  Bone  beads,  .  .  343,  355.  363,  384,  386,  387 

Bone  needle  with  eye, 279 

180  Bone  object,  copper  coated ls7 

Bone  piercing  implements,  201,  210,  227,  270, 
180  279,  281,  286,  305,  323,  324,  356,  387,  389, 

366  397 

396  Bone  pins, 32S.  315 

323      Bone  tube,  .         .         .      3M1 

251      Boss  of  impure  silver,  .        .      30S 

Bosses  of  brass, 365,  408 

397  Bosses  of  copper, 331,  363 

383      Bottle,  pottery,  with  handles,        .        .        .241 

Bottles,  large,  with  burials,  .  .  .  347,  349 

275  Bowl,  soapstone, 242 

419  Boyd's  Landing,  mound  near  .  .  230 

259  Bracelet  of  brass, 367 

404  Bracelets  of  copper,  .  .  .  292 
318,  Bracelets  of  iron 308,  304 

Brain  preserved  in  skull,         ....      350 

421  Brass,  283,  363,  364,  365,  366.  367,  368,  390,  408 
Bridgeport,  or  Long,  Island,  mounds  and 

410  dwelling-site  on 331 

337  Brown's  Ferry,  dwelling-site  at,  .  .  .  259 
267  Brown's  Island,  mound  on,  ....  259 
279  Burgess,  Major  II.,  .  176,  184 

189  Burial,  certain  forms  of  aboriginal,  .  .  182 
234  Burial  having  above  it  bones  of  lower  ani- 

247  mals, 

317      Burial  in  sitting  position  rare, 

392      Burials  are   of  adults   when   not  otherwise- 

:is7  described, 183,  342 

408      Burials  closely  flexed  and  almost   vertically 

296,  placed,    ' 328,  362,  303 

Burial,  deposited  above  charcoal  or  bark,       .    202 

300.      Burials  in  stone  mound,         .       .       .     197,   19s 
Burials,  marginal  placement  in  domiciliary 

245,  mounds, 217,  233 

305,      Burials,  measurement  of  depth  of.         .         .       1S3 

345,      Burials  partly  enclosed   in   sand,   204,   249,   292. 

380,  290,  300',  330 

421,      Burials  with  layer  of  pure  clay,  202,  245,  210, 
217,  248,  249,  273,  274,  275,  270,  277,  300, 

422  301 

361  Burials  with  masses  of  fine  clay,  215,  240,  247, 
317,  250,  251,  273,  274,  275,  277,  293,  299,  300, 

301,  302 

423 


424 


INDEX. 


Burial,  unusual  form  of,          ....  250 

Burned   wattle   and   daub  structures,   315,  341, 

302 

Burns  Island,  dwelling-site  on,      .        .        .  335 

Bushnell,  Jr.  David  I., 172 

littxi/con,  conch-.shcll  used  by  aborigines,      .  184 

Butler  Place,  mounds  on,       ....  410 

Cadle,  Col.  Cornelius, 225 

Cagle  Place,  mounds  on,         ....  408 

Campbell  Place,  mounds  on,          .        .        .  409 

Cane  creek,  dwelling-site  near,      .        .        .  250 

Carbonate   of   lime,    small   masses   of,   262,  284, 

291,   29(i 

Carmichael  Place,  mound  on,         .        .        .  41S 

Carter  Farm,  mounds  on 35S 

Cataco  creek,  dwelling-site  near,  .         .         .  276 
Cave  creek,  mound  near,         .         .         .         .417 

Cedar  creek,  mounds  opposite  mouth  of,    .  205 

Cedar,  slabs  of,  on  burial,       ....  370 

Celt,  adz-form  of 3S4 

Celt  grooved  on  its  narrower  sides,       .         .  368 

Celt,  showing  handle  attachment ,         .        .  373 

Celts  of  copper,  247,  270,  277,  291,  295,  290,  302 

Celts  of  iron,  obtained  from  the  Whites,  373,  374 


Celts  of  iron  or  of  steel,  306,  303,  373,  376, 
Celts  with  handle  in  place. 


3SO 
346 
421 


Celts  without  cutting  edge,    .         .    389,400, 
Cemeteries,   aboriginal,   none   of   large   size 

bordering  Tennessee  river,  .  .  .177 
Ceremonial  axes  of  copper,  .  .  .  403,  404 
Ceremonial  axes  of  stone,  284,  303,  305,  318, 

349,  351,  370,  413,  414 

Ceremonial  axes  without  cutting  edge,  413,  414 
Ceremonials,    reel-shaped,    of   copper,    245,    240, 

247,  277,  278,  291,  292,  295,  296,  299,  300, 

301 
Ceremonials,  reel-shaped,  of  copper,  data  as 

to, 245,  246,  277 

Charcoal  with  burials,  202,  308,  399,  402,  411 

416 

Chattanooga  Island,  dwelling-site  on,  .         .      309 
('heck-stamp    decoration    on    pottery,    242,    272, 

279,  314,  335 
Chisel  of  flint,  with  ground  cutting  edge  at 

each  end 208 

Chunn's  Landing,  mound  and  dwelling-site 

above, 278 

Citico  mound  and  site,    ....     180,  370 

Claw  represented  in  wood,  copper  coated,  .      187 

Clay,   deposits   of,    with   burials,   245,   240,   247, 

"248,  249,  250,  251,  273,  274,  275,  276,  277, 

293,  299,  300,  301,  302 
Clay,   hot,   extensive  use  of,   with  burials,   338, 

340,  341,  342,  382 
Clay,  layer  of,  with  burials,  202,  245,  246,  247, 

248,"  249,  273,  274,  275,  276,  277,  300,  301 
Clay  reddened  by  heat,  above  burials,  314,  315, 

"318,  340,  355,  362,  367,  368,  382 
Colbert  creek,  dwelling-sites  near,  .  .  240 
Columclhc  of  conchs,  sectioned,  .  .  274,  391 
Columellse  of  conchs  used  as  ear-ornaments,  315 
Columelloc  of  conchs  with  burials,  407,  413,  416 
Complicated  stamp  decoration  on  pottery, 

281,  318 
Conch  shell  drinking  cup,  "killed,"     .        .     243 


Conch   shells   with   burial,    197,   245,    249,   250, 

208,  291,  301,  388 
Cone  of  sheet-copper,      .....      305 

Cook  Landing,  mounds  near,         .        .        .      399 
Cope,  E.  D.,      .......      237 

Copper  beads,  247,  248,  250,  273,  291,  290,  297, 

299,  300,  336,  355,  382 
Copper  bracelets,      ......      292 

Copper  celts,  247,  276,  277,  291,  295,  290,  302 
Copper-coated  claw  of  wood,  .  .  .  187 
Copper-coated  disc  of  wood,  .  .  .  270 
Copper-coated  object  of  bone,  .  .  .  187 
Copper-coated  ornaments  of  wood,  263,  264, 

205,  343 
Copper-coated  ornaments  of  wood,  Mr.  C.  C. 

Willoughby  as  to,  ....  263,  343 
Copper-coated  pendant  of  indurated  clay,  .  187 
Copper,  discs  of,  .  318,331,363,367,384 
Copper  ornaments,  reel-shaped,  245,  240,  247, 

277,  291,   292,  295 
Copper,  sheet-,  ornament  of.  on  skull,  287,  289, 

342 
Copper,   sheet-,   ornament   of,   representing 

an  eagle,    .......      342 

Copper    spool-shaped    car-ornaments,    245, 

277,  301 

Copper,  twisted  strip  of,  .... 
Counterfeiting  of  flints,  .  .  .  175, 

Cowry  shells  used  in  trade  by  the  Hudson's 

Bay  Company,  .  .  .  .  294, 
Cowry  shells  with  burial,  .  .  .  293, 
C'owrv  shells  with  burial,  Dr.  W.  II.  Dall 

as  to,  ........ 

Cox  Island,  dwelling-site  on,  .  .  . 
Cox  mound  and  dwelling-site,  .  .  . 
Cremation,  203,  280,  320,  330,  340,  341, 

383,  412 

Cremation  by  hot  clay,  203,  340,  341,  342, 
Cremation  by  hot  clay  on  slabs  of  stone,    . 
Cube  of  galena,  artificially  shaped,       .         . 
Curtis,  K.,          .......     171, 


297 
181 

295 
294 

294 
420 
314 

382, 

382 
203 
387 
178 


Dall,  Dr.  \V.  II  ........      294 

Davis  Place,  dwelling-site  on,        .        .        .      392 
De  Armond  Place,  mounds  on,      .         .         .411 
Decatur,  mound  at,         .....      270 

Decoration,   painted,   of  unusual  form,  on 

vessels,       ...  .        .    345,  348 

Deposit  of  arrowpoints  with  burial,  .  .  383 
Deposit  of  celts  with  burial,  .  .  .  .384 
Deposit  of  implements  and  fragments  of 

chert  with  burial,  .....  305 
Dickey's  Landing,  mound  near,  .  .  .  220 
Disc  of  sandstone  with  line  decoration,  .  355 
Disc  of  wood,  copper  coated,  .  .  .  270 
Discoidal,  rude,  of  galena,  .  .  .  240,  299 
Diseoidals,  stone,  208,  269,  270,  284,  295,  305, 

351,  375,  380,  383,  386,  387,  421,  422 
Discs  of  brass,  .        .        .          363,  366,  367,  368 
Discs  of  copper,       .        .  318,  331,  363,  367,  384 
Discs  of  pottery,   190,  234,  355,  377,  380,  387, 

400,  408 

Discs  of  shell,  .  .  300,  307,  346,  351,  355 
Discs  of  stone,  .....  383,  400,  408 
Dixie  Landing,  mounds  and  dwelling-site 

near,  .  200 


INDEX. 


425 


Dogs, 237,  270,  275 

Drills  of  flint, 27S,  30S,  392 

Drum-fish,  teeth  of,  in  rattles,      .        .    374,  377 

Dunning,  Rev.  K.  O., 171 

Ear-ornament  of  antler,  ....  323 
Ear-ornaments  of  wood,  copper-coated,  in 

form  of  milkweed  pod,  .  .  203,  264,  265 
Ear-ornaments,  pin-shaped,  remarks  as  to,  262 
Ear-ornaments,  spool-shaped,  of  copper,  245, 

255,  277,  301 

Ear-plug,  spool-shaped,  of  shell,  .  .  .  383 
Ear-plugs  of  shell,  261,  263,  306,  355,  373,  374, 

370,  378,  384 
Ear-plugs  of  shell,   "bracket"  shape,   372,   382, 

384 

Mart  henware  bottle  of  graceful  shape,  .  271 
Earthenware  discs,  190,  234,  355,  377,  380,  387, 

400,  408 

Earthenware  vessel,  double  "spouted,"  .  237 
Effigy  of  human  head,  earthenware,  .  .  190 
Eldridge  Place,  mound  and  site  on,  .  .  393 
Ellis  creek,  mound  near,  ....  187 
Elk  antler,  tool  made  from,  ....  337 

Euchee,  mounds  at, 407 

Evans  Place,  mounds  on,  ....  411 
Ewing  Place,  mounds  on,  ....  410 

Fewkes,  Dr.  J.  Walter, 348 

Fire,  ceremonial  use  of,  with  burials,  203,  314, 

315,  338,  340,  341,  355,  362,  307,  368,  382, 

399 

Fire-places  below  extended  burials,  190,  201,  343 
Fire-places  in  mounds,  189,  190,  201,  208,  228, 

232,  237,  319 

Fitzgerald  Place,  mounds  on, 
Flint,  graceful, weapon  of,       . 
Flint  river,  dwelling-site  at  mouth  of, 
Flints,  deposit  of  rare  specimens  of,      . 
Flints,  extensive  counterfeiting  of, 
Florence,  mound  near,    .... 
Form  of  burial,  unusual, 
Forms,  certain,  of  aboriginal  burial, 
Foster  Place,  dwelling-site  on, 
Fowkc,    Gerard,    172,    175,    180,    198, 
Fitlyur  now  termed  Husycon, 


408 
399 
278 
204 
175 
251 
250 
183 
280 
232,  406 
184 


175, 


182, 


Galena,    lead    sulphide,    coated    with    lead 
carbonate,  the  white  lead  of  commerce, 

231,  232,  240,  245,  246,  247,  248,  249,  250, 

254,  256,  273,  270,  290,  291,  293,  290,  21)7, 
298,  299,  301,  302 

Galena,  cube  of, 387 

Galena,  lead  sulphide,  in  great  abundance  in 

the  Itodcn  mounds,         .        .        .        .291 

Galena,  rude  discoidal  of,       .                .        .  299 

Galena,  sphere  of,    .         .         .  297 

Garland's  Ferry,  dwelling-sites  near,    .        .  308 

Garrison  Place,  mounds  on,   ....  406 

Gilchrist  Island,  dwelling-site  on,          .         .  253 

Gilchrist  Island,  dwelling-site  on,         .       .  258 

Gillespie  Landing,  mounds  near,                 .  390 

Goodwin  Place,  mounds  on,  ....  412 

Gorget  of  shell,  of  unusual  shape,        .       .  348 
Gorget  of  shell,  with  design  of  woodpecker's 

head,  etc., 316 


Gorgets  of  shell,  261,  207,  2M ,  295,  300, 
317,  318,  348,  351,  372,  374,  370,  378, 
380,  381,  382,  383,  385,  380,  390 

Gorgets  of  shell,  mask-like,  372,  380,  3S1, 
385 

Gorgets  of  stone,     .       .       .  243,  420,  421, 

Grant  Island,  dwelling-site  on, 

Graphite,  impure,  ornament  of, 

Graphitic  material  probably  used  as  paint, 
305 

Graves  filled  with  shells,  280,  281,  320,  359, 

Graves  of  unusual  form,         .        .        .    277, 

Gray,  A.  J.,  Place,  mounds  on, 

Gray,  T.  J.,  Place,  cemetery  on,    . 

Grooved  axes  seldom  found  in  any  of  our 
excavations, 

Grooved  celt, 

Grooved  hammer  of  flint,        .... 

Group  of  mounds,  principal,  on  Tennessee 
river, 

Guntersville,  mound  near,      .... 

Halo's  Bar,  dam  and  lock,      .... 

Hammer,  grooved,  of  flint,     .... 

Hampton  Place,  Hamilton  county,  dwelling- 
site  and  mounds  on,  .... 

Hampton  Place,  lower,  mounds  on, 

Hampton  Place,  upper,  mounds  on, 

Harrison  Ferry,  mounds  below, 

Hematite  as  pigment,  200,  311,  303,  304, 
387,  391 

Hematite,  bar-amulet  made  from, 

Henry  Island,  mounds  on,      .... 

Henson  Place,  mounds  on,     .... 

Hiwassee  Island,  mounds  and  sites  on, 

Hixson  Place,  mound  on,        .... 

Hobb's  Island,  mounds  and  dwelling-site  on, 

Hodge,  F.  \V., 

"Hoe-shaped"  ceremonial  axes  of  stone, 
351,  370 

Hoes  wrought  from  musselshells, 

Holmes,   Prof.   William   H.,   171 
351,  372,  374,  379,  3SO 

Hones,  of  sandstone, 

Hood  Place,  mound  on,  . 

Hood's  Ferry,  mounds  near,  . 

Hope  Place,  mounds  on, 

Hopper  Place,  dwelling-site  on,     . 

Hoyal  Ferry,  mound  near, 

Hrdlieka,  Dr.  Ales, 

Hubbard  Landing,  mound  near,    . 

Huffinc  Ferry,  mounds  near, 

Human   remains   in    poor   condition 
Tennessee  river, 

Hut-rings, 


.    318, 
188,  306, 

.    208, 


along 


315, 

379, 

384, 

422 
120 
331 
284, 

391 

100 
190 
190 

421 
368 
364 

177 
281 

338 

364 

301 
407 
407 
388 
373, 

318 
286 
189 
394 
3S9 
278 
184 
318, 

351 
316, 

396 
409 
412 
408 
275 
397 
183 
234 
414 


183 

2S2 


Igou  Ferry,  mound  below,      ....  390 

Implement,  interesting,  of  flint,    .       .       .  373 

Implements  of   bone,    with   rounded   points,  377 

Inhabitants,  early,  of  Tennessee,  .        .        .  172 

Introduction, 171 

Investigation  along  Tennessee  river,  order  of,  1S1 

Investigations,  archaeological,   of  Tennessee,  171 


Jackson  Ferry,  mounds  near, 
Jackson  Place,  mound  and  site  on. 


Ids 
421 


420 


INDEX. 


Johnson  Place,  mounds  on,  ....  241 
Jones,  Dr.  Joseph,  .  .  171,  172,  173,  174,  188 
Jones  Place,  mound  on, 398 


Keeley,  F.  J.,    . 
Keller,  Dr.  H.  F.,     . 
Keyforver  Place,  mound  on, 
"Killing''  of  a  drinking-cup, 
Kimbrough  Place,  mounds  on, 
Knife  of  iron,    . 


.  184 

.  184,  262,  374 

.  403 

.  243 

.  403 

.  364,  365 


Knives  of  flint,  large,  342,  343,  345,  347,  380, 
383 

Knoxville,  mound  near, 422 

Koger's  Island,  dwelling-sites  on,          .        .  241 

Lancehead,  of  flint,  graceful,          .        .        .  270 

Leadhetter  Landing,  dwelling-site  at,  .        .  205 

Leaf-shaped  implements  of  flint,  355,  367,  376, 

380,  383,  386 

Leatherwood  creek,  mounds  near,         .        .  199 

Lenoir  City,  mound  near,       ....  419 

Lenoir  City,  mounds  opposite,       .        .        .  419 

Life-forms  in  pottery,   190,  207,  222,  223,  260, 

266,  269,  283,  347,  349,  351,  381 

Limestone  creek,  mound  near,       .        .        .  272 

Little  River  shoals,  dwelling-site  near,        .  421 

Lock  number  3,  dwelling-site  at,  .        .        .  253 

Long  Island,  mounds  on,        ....  414 

Loomis,  F.  B., 237 

Looney  Island,  mound  opposite,   .        .        .  422 

London,  mound  opposite,       ....  418 

Lovelady  Landing,  mound  at,       .        .        .  389 

Lovelady  Landing,  mound  near,   .        .  389 

Lucas,  Prof.  F.  A.,  .        .  1S4,  237,  376,  377 

Lumholtz,  Carl, 420 

Luty  Place,  mound  on, 403 

Manganese  ore,  mass  of,         ....  391 
Map  of  Tennessee  river  in  Alabama,    .        .  235 
Map  of  Tennessee  river  in  eastern  Tennes 
see,  ^ 333 

Map  of  Tennessee  river  in  Kentucky  and 

western  Tennessee, 186 

Map,  showing  distribution  of  stone  graves 

along  Tennessee, 179 

Map,  vicinity,  of  Tennessee  river,        .        .  170 

Mat  of  reeds, 342,  346,  347 

Matting,   remains   of,    187,   301,   315,   340,  341, 

345,  362 

Mason  Island,  dwelling-site  on,     .        .        .  260 

Measurements,  character  of,          ...  184 

Mica  with  burials, 299,  330 

Miller,  Dr.  G.  S.,  Jr., 184 

Miller,  Dr.  M.  G.,    .        .        .        .    184,  224,  338 

Milton  Bluff,  dwelling-site  above,         .        .  258 
Minute  arrowpoints  from  near  Chattanooga, 

as  to  the  genuineness  of,         ...  356 
Moccasin  Bend,  minute  arrowpoints  said  to 

be  found  at, 356 

Montgomery  Place,  mounds  on,  .        .        .  388 

Montgomery,  Prof.  Henry,    ....  294 

Moorehead,  Prof.  Warren  K.,        .   246,  356,  357 

Mortars, 311,  321 

Mosso,  Angelo, 380 

Mound  on  Shiloh  Battlefield,  investigation 

of, 225 


Mud  creek,  mounds  near  mouth  of, 

Mullers, 

Musselshell  hoes, 

Mussclshells  and  stones  above  burials, 
Musselshells,  deposit  of.  under  stones, 
Musselshell  spoons,  207,  261,  267,  268. 
Musselshells  perforated  for  suspension, 

Mycr,  W.  E., 172, 

McDonald  Place,  mound  on, 
McGuire,  Joseph  D.,       .... 
McKec  Island,  dwelling-site  on,    . 
McKenzie  Place,  mounds  on, 

Nance's  Reef,  mounds  above, 
Nash  Landing,  mound  near,  . 
Needle,  bone,  with  eye,  .... 
North  Carolina  Landing,  mounds  below, 
North  Carolina  Landing,  mound  near, 


t 

396 

275, 

392 

318, 

351 

321, 

330 

280 

307, 

345 

375 

174, 

175 

399 

375 

281 

388 

257 

227 

279 

j 

227 

228 

354 


188 
351 
318 
220 
207 
331 


Object  of  claystone, 

Object  of  indurated  clay,  resembling  semi- 
lunar  knife, 

Object  of  wood,  copper-coated, 

Ochre,  red,  as  pigment, 

Old  Callens'  Landing,  mound  at, 

Old  Furnace  Landing,  mound  near, 

Ornament  of  impure  graphite, 

Ornament  of  sheet-copper,     .        .   298,  347,  384 

Ornament  of  sheet-copper  representing  an 

eagle, 342 

Ornament  of  copper,  perforated  disc,        .  367 

Ornaments  of  sheet-copper  on  skulls,  287,  289, 
342 

Ornaments   of   wood   overlaid   with   sheet- 
copper,       ....  263,  264,  265,  343 

Ornaments  of  wood,   overlaid   with  sheet- 
copper,  Mr.   C.  C.   Willoughby  as  to,  263, 
343 

Paint  Rock  creek,  mounds  near,   .        .        .415 

Paint  Rock  Landing,  dwelling-site  near,      .  279 

Pathological  specimens, 184 

Peabody,  R,  S., 246 

Pearl  of  great  size,  used  as  bead,  .        .        .  319 

Pearls,  baroque,  pierced  for  stringing,          .  267 

Pearls  used  as  beads,       .        .  267,  319,  350,  383 

Pendant,  copper-coated,         ....  187 

Pendant  of  brass, 368 

Pendant  of  musselshell, 346 

Pendant,    wrought    from    columella    of    a 

conch, 238 

Penis  bone  of  raccoon,  implement,       .    351,  374 

Penney  Place,  dwelling-site  on,     .        .        .  280 

Periwinkle  Hill, 254 

Perkins  Bluff,  mounds  near,  ....  222 

Perkins  Spring,  mounds  near,        .        .        .  243 

Pickles  Place,  mound  on,        ....  415 

Pickwick  Landing,  dwelling-site  near,          .  229 

Piercing  implements  of  bone,  204,  210,  227,  270, 

279,  281,  286,  305,  323,  324,  343,  345,  356, 

3S9,  397 

Pigment  on  pottery,  unusual,        .        .        .  349 

Pilsbry,  Dr.  H.  A., 184,  293 

Pine  Island,  mound  and  dwelling-site  on,  .  302 

Pin-shaped  ornament, 267 

Pin-shaped  ornaments,  remarks  on  use  of,  .  262 


INDEX 


427 


Pins  of  bone 328,  345 

Pipe  blocked  out  of  claystone,  .  .  .  387 
Pipe,  efiigy.  remarkable,  from  mound  on 

Shiloh  Battlefield,  .  .  .  226,  227 

Pipes,  22li,  227.  23'.!.  2ii().  281,  2xil,  324,  343,  351, 

3(11-,  365,  366,  367,  371,  374,  377,  378,  3M. 

383,  384,  386,  3!»3 

Pipes  of  unusual  form,  .  .  .  3C4,  366,  307 
Pipes  showing  interesting  conventional 

treatment  of  the  beak  of  a  bird,  374,  375, 

384,  3S6 

Pined  stones,    .        .        .        .311,321,323,368 

Pittsburg  Ferry,  mound  near,        .         .        .  222 

Pittsburg  Landing,  mounds  near,  .  .  223 
Plan  of  burials  in  Mound  A,  Bennett  Place,  339 

Pond  creek,  mounds  near  mouth  of,     .         .  415 

Pottery  discs,  190,  234,  355,  377,  380,  387,  400, 
IOX 

Pottery  discs  with  burial,  ....  380 
Pottery,  interesting  fragment  of,  at  Citico 

site, 371,  387 

Pottery,  new  type  of  ware,  marking  local 

culture, 345,  348 

Pottery  of  Tennessee, 176 

Pottery  trowels 188,  242,  386 

Prater,  Kdward,  Place,  mounds  on,  .  .  419 

Prater  Island,  dwelling-site  on,  .  .  .  421 

Prater,  S.  ]•].,  Place,  dwelling-sites  on,  .  420 

Prcvatt's  Landing,  dwelling-site  at,  .  204 

Putnam,  Prof.  Frederic  Ward,  171,  173,  174, 

175,   17S,  184,  282,  316 

Quartz  crystals, 36S,  -120 

Quartz  crystal  used  in  medicine,  or  magic,  420 

Hat  ties, 374,  377 

Rattlesnake,  conventional  doign  of  the,  379,  380 

Rattlesnake   design   on  shell   gorgets,   306,  376, 
37S,  379,  381,  382,  396 

Kaybon,  J.  S., ISO 

Heed,  M.  ('., 370 

Red  Cloud  Ferry,  mound  near,  .  .  408 
Reel-shaped  ceremonial  ornaments  of  copper, 

245,  246,  247,  277,  278,  291,  292,  295,  290, 
299,  300,  301 
Reel-shaped  ceremonial  ornaments  of  copper, 

data  as  to,         ....   245,  246,  277 
Repouss6  decoration  on  sheet-copper  orna 
ment,          289 

Higgles  Ferry,  dwelling-site  near,                  .  337 

King  of  stone, .  378 

Rivertoti,  mounds  near,                                  .  239 

Hi  vet,  Dr.  P., 376 

Korkwood  Landing,  mounds  near,        .        .  409 

Koden  mounds, 290 

Koden  mounds,  character  of,                        .  290 

Rudder  Place,  mounds  on,      ....  318 

Savannah,  mounds  at,     ....     170,  221 

Sc'ibold  Place,  dwelling-site  on,     .       .       .  285 

Semilunar  object  of  indurated  clay,  .  .  188 
Sequatchie  creek,  mound  and  dwelling-site 

at  mouth  of, 335 

Seven    Mile    Island,    mound   and   dwelling- 
sites  on 251 

Shawnee  in  Tennessee,  .  .  172 
Shell  beads:  see  beads  of  shell. 


Shell  cup,  Cassia, 263 

Shell  discs,  .  .  300,307,346,351,355 
Shell  ear-plugs,  261,  203,  306,  355,  373,  374, 

376,  378,  3S4 

Shell  ear-plug,  "bracket"  shaped,  372,  3X2,  3x4 
Shell  ear-plugs,  spool-shaped,  .  .  .  383 
Shell  form  in  earthenware,  .  .  .  190,  207 
Shell  gorgets,  2(11.  267,  281,  295,  306,  315.  317, 

318,  348,  351,  372,  374,  376,  37s,  37'.),  3xo, 

381,  382,  383,  385,  386,  396 
Shellmound,  dwelling-sites  at, 
Shell  mounds,   .... 
Shell  pendant,  columella  of  a  conch, 


242, 


337 
272 
238 
Shiloh  Battlefield,  group  of  mounds  on,  177,  224 


Silver  boss, 308 

Simoons  da  Silva,  Ur.  A.  C.,  .      414 

Sites  investigated,  Part  I,  ....  1x5 
Sites  investigated,  Part  II,  .  .  .  .  233 
Sites  investigated,  Part  III,  ....  332 

Skinner,  Alanson, 413 

Skulls,  certain,  of  Algonquin  type,  .      |x:j 

Skulls,  description  of,  to  be  published  later,  lx:i 
Skulls  presented  to  National  Museum,  .  183 
Slaughter  Place,  mounds  on,  .  .  .  276 
Smith,  Professor  Eugene  A.,  ....  246 
Snodgrass  Place,  mounds  on,  .  .  .  312 
South  Flint  river,  mound  and  dwelling-she 

near, 270 

Spade  of  stone,  of  unusual  size,     .  .      243 

Spearhead  of  flint,  broken  ceremonially,  .  302 
Spearhead  of  flint,  of  unusual  form,  .  .  399 

Spcncc  Place,  mounds  on 397 

Sphere  of  silicious  material,    .         .         .  204 

Spool-shaped  ear-ornaments  of  copper,  215,  255. 

277,  301 
Spoons  carved  from  musselshells,  261,  207,  26X, 

307,  345,  3-18 
Stamp  decoration  on  pottery,  242,  272,  279, 

314,  318,  335,  356,  37] 
Star  Lime  Works,  cemetery  near, . 

Steatite  vessels, 

Steel  Place,  mound  on, 

Stehlin,  Karl, 

Stone  box-grave  discovered  by  us  in  Ala 
bama,         

Stone  box-graves  found  in  groups  at  one 

place  in  eastern  Tennessee,    . 
Stone    grave    in    part    utilized    in    making 


I  XX 
242 
270 
380 


another  one, 
Stone  grave,  rudely  circular, 
Stone  graves,   187,  188,   189, 

203,  206,  207, 

214,  215,  216, 

247,  2X2,  2X5, 

311,  312,  315, 


194,  2()x. 


393 

311 
406 

191,  192,  193,  191. 
208,  209,  210,  211,  212,  213, 
217,  2 IX,  219,  220,  229,  232, 
286,  289,  304,  30X,  309,  310. 
316,  319,  320,  321,  322,  323, 
324,  325,  327,  328,  329,  336,  343,  316,  353, 
361,  385,  390,  391,  393,  394,  40-1,  405,  10(1, 
407,  415 

Stone  graves,  box  variety,  1X7,  191,  192,  193,  194, 
200,  207,  20X.  209,  210,  211,  212,  213,  214, 
215,  216,  217,  218,  219,  220,  280,  328,  343, 
393,  391 

Stone  graves,  box  variety,  detailed  descrip 
tion   of,    191,    192,   193,   194,   20X,   209,   210, 
211,  212,  213,  214,  215,  216,  217,  218,  219, 
220,  286,  313,  393,  394 
Stone  graves,  classification  of,       .        .        .178 


428 


INDEX. 


Stone  graves,  comparatively  few  on  Tennes 
see  river, 

Stone  graves  discovered  by  us  in  Alabama, 
Stone  graves,  distribution  of,         ... 
Stone  graves,  few  artifacts  found  in  them. 

178 

Stone  graves  found  with  unenclosed  graves 

along  Tennessee  river,     .... 

Stone  graves,  map  showing  location  of,  on 

Tennessee  river, 

Stone  graves,  their  form  and  contents, 
Stone  graves  the  most   distinctive  feature 
in  the  arclueology  of  Tennessee,    . 

Stone  mounds, 197, 

Stone   slabs,    peculiar    arrangement   above 

baked  clay  layer, 

Stones  presumably  as  supports  for  vessels, 

Street,  Oliver  Day, 

Swallow  Bluff  Island,  mounds  on, 
Swan  Pond  Landing,  mound  near, 

Swanton,  John  R., 

Swastika,  decoration  on  pottery,  . 
Sycamore  Landing,  mound  near,  . 
Sykes  Place,  dwelling-site  on, 

Tedder  Place,  mounds  on,      .... 
Teeth  of  drum-fish  used  in  rattles,        .    374, 
Tennessee,  former  inhabitants  of, . 
Tennessee    river,    archaeological    work    on, 

177,   ITS 

Tennessee  river,  highest  mound  on, 
Tennessee  river,  its  course  and  character, 

177 
Tennessee  river,  not  of  great  archaeological 

importance, 

Thomas,  Cyrus,        .        .      _ .  171,  178,  180, 

Thompson  Place,  dwelling-site  on, 

Thrust  on,    Gen.   Gates   P.,    171,    172,    174, 

180,  188,  191,  232,  242,  245,  374,  379, 

404 

Tick  Island,  mound  on, 

Tomahawk  of  iron  or  of  steel, 

Tool  of  elk  antler, 

Tools,    mushroom-shaped,   of  earthenware, 

386 

Tools  of  stone,  with  blunt  edges,  384,  396, 
Traders   in    aboriginal    artifacts   abundant 

on  Tennessee  river,          .  177,  181,  229, 
Triskele,  design  on  gorgets,    .        .        .    374, 


177 

178 
172 
174, 


178 

179 
173 

172 
198 

203 
201 
172 
208 
231 
172 
348 
257 
199 

411 
377 
172 
176, 

177 
176, 


177 
394 
199 
175, 
380, 

254 
306 
337 

188, 


Trowel,  pottery,  of  unusual  shape,   .   .  242 

Tube  of  bone, ' 386 

Turtle  shells  with  burials,       .        .        .    217,  374 

Unenclosed  burials  apart  from  stone  grave 

burials,  numerous  along  Tennessee  river,  178 
Urn  burial, 305 

Vanatta,  E.  G., 184 

Verneau,  Dr.  R., 376 

Vessel  of  pottery  covered  with  carbonate  of 

lime, 262 

Vessels  of  soapstone, 242 

Vessels,  pottery,  of  novel  form,  237,  238,  253, 

254,  256,  258,  269 

Vessels   with   unusual   painted   decoration,  345, 

348 

Vessel  with  projections  to  aid  suspension,  .  266 

Viniard  Landing,  mounds  near,     .        .        .  400 

Wardle,  H.  N., 184 

Wattle  and  daub  structures,  burned,  315,  341, 

362 

Wattle  imprints  on  burned  clay,  .        .        .  203 

Weapon  of  flint,  of  unusual  shape,        .        .  399 

Weaver  Place,  dwelling-site  on,     .        .        .  254 

Weir,  S.  G., 184 

West  Shipp's  Landing,  mound  near,     .        .  205 

Wheelock  Place,  mounds  on,          .        .        .  406 

Whelpley,  Dr.  H.  M.,      ....    373,  399 

White  Place,   mound  and  dwelling-site  on,  352 

White's  Ferry,  dwelling-site  at,     .        .        .  278 

Widow's  creek,  mounds  near,         .        .        .  319 

Wigwam  sites, 282 

Williams  Island, 354 

Williams  Island  Ferry,  mound  and  dwelling- 
site  at,        360 

Williams  Landing,  mounds  near,  .  .  .  324 
Williamson,  Robert  W.,  .  .  .420 

Williams  Place,  mounds  on,  .        .        .  221 

Willoughby,  Charles  C.,  184,  263,  294,  343,  399 

Wintemberg,  W.  J., 294 

Wolf  Island,  mounds  opposite,      .        .        .  221 

Wyman,  Jeffries,      .        .        .  171,  380 

Yellow  creek,  mounds  near  mouth  of,  .  231 
Young,  Col.  Bennett  H.,  .  .  356,  357,  358 
Young,  D.  B., 237 


DATE 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

OVERDUE. 


YH  00263 


321424    **- 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


